You Gotta Be Cruel To Be Loved
by viettvnt
Summary: After all these years,Reimei's bak as a shinigami.But things get complicated wen it involves crushes,jealousy,evil plots,childhood friends,betrayal and of course love.And its all revolving around a certain 10th division taichou HitsuXOc
1. Upon Returning

**Vietvn: Ok, since I'm STILL trying to work out how I'm gonna write the next chapter to my fullmetal alchemistXBleach story, I came up with another idea of ANOTHER story which resulted to it being...BLEACHHH!!! X) So hope u enjoy this one for the meanwhile ok:)**

**(IMPORTANT)Disclaimer: Ok... I don't own Bleach or its original anime characters, I don't own Reimei's attacks so far because I can't come up with one that actually sounded good in japanese(cuz personally i think anime attacks sound better in japanese than english..iono dont ask its just me :\ ) Uhh...I do not own the name 'Tsukuyomi' found that off of a naruto jutsu...I DO own Reimei's zanpakuto (Tsumetai Kaze; which includes the command and bankai name) and I own my OC and I own the command for Tsukuyomi and bankai mode and yea...XP thas a lotta stuff... Just wanna let u all kno all of this before u start bitching at me for stealing and if there's something that vaguely reminds u from something out of another anime or another author's stories; i apologize because i might not have heard of it kk?**

** But keep in mind I'll let you know what I do own in the chapters too because I will start to make up my own stuff but most likely it'll be in english unless i can translate it to jap.**

** Wow that was long...just one last part before you can start i promise u just a lil bit more :)  
**

** Ok some things to keep in mind:**

" Talking "

'_Thoughts_ '

**_Tsumetai Kaze Dialogue when she's talkin to Reimei_**

_Tsukuyomi Dialouge when he's talkin to Reimei_

_Flashback _(Though it will be noted before it starts)

**Ok! NOW u may start reading :) thanks for u patience**

**Chapter One: Upon Returning**

_Flashback_

_A young girl stood in line along with many other shinigami that had just graduated. It was surprising to see a girl no more than 8 years of age standing with students that were clearly older and taller than her. But she took no note of that, all that mattered was that she graduated at a young age which made shinigami history. As the graduates waited for the captains of the Gotei 13 to choose their new recruit, they nervously shifted in their spot. The girl however, remained calm as one by one, names were called._

_She finally heard her name and she raised her head slightly to see who had called upon her behalf, which turned out to be Yoruichi Shihouin._

_" I heard you have high spiritual energy. I think you'll do well under my teaching in special forces, Reimei Tanaka. " The girl, Reimei, meekly took her place behind her new captain. After a few more selection was made, each captain lead their new recruits back to their division. As everyone got settled down, Reimei was called to meet up with Yoruichi. She meekly stepped into the office and bowed in respect before speaking._

_" Yoruichi-sama, you wish to speak with me? "_

_" Hey, Hey, don't need to be so formal. Just Yoruichi-san or Yoruichi. " Reimei nodded confusingly as to why a superior didn't want to be addressed formally. It was only natural since she was at a lower class._

_" Hai, Yoruichi-sam...Yoruichi-san. " corrected Reimei. The woman in front of her smiled and then began to speak._

_" I've decided to train you personally, seeing as how you have potential. So everyday, you are to meet me early in the morning and train til the afternoon. After that, you'll resume duties here in the division and the days will continue on the same til further notice. " Reimei nodded, even though she didn't show it, she was rather excited that she was being trained personally under Yoruichi-san. She has heard that she was the master at foot combat (shunpo or flashsteps) and hand to hand combat. But overall, she was a powerful shinigami._

_" Don't need to act so shy. " chuckled Yoruichi as she walked over and knelt down in front of Reimei, who was sitting on her knees. Yoruichi patted the small girl's head, slightly ruffling her shoulder length raven hair that shone a dark violet colour in the light. Reimei couldn't help but blush from emberassment, considering she was only a child, the other students didn't really acknowledge her much in the academy._

_" You're a true child prodigy. Already graduating at such a young age. " praised Yoruichi, Reimei blinked her dark onyx eyes. Her new teacher smiled at her and got up to do whatever there is that needs to be done, " I must be off now, you may go and look around your division. Just to get a familiar sense to it. " Reimei nodded her head and bowed before leaving the office._

_Days passed and as promised, Reimei had been seeing Yoruichi every morning before the sun fully rises. Reimei had progressed well and Yoruichi took notice of that. During that time, Reimei had also managed to master her shikai form and had recently obtained bankai form. As days of training soon became years, Reimei had become a well-known shinigami throughout Seireitei. One night, Reimei had quietly slipped into Yoruichi's office to discuss a simple matter that she had on her mind for a while now._

_" Yoruichi-san, I wish to leave Soul Society. I want to train on my own now in seclusion. I want to see what I'm able to accomplish. " Yoruichi looked puzzled at the 10 year old. Even though she was still young, she was mature for her age and always wore somewhat of a blank expression._

_" My departure would be discreet, I felt the need to tell you of it because you are after all, the one who taught me mostly everything. " Yoruichi was a bit speechless, not knowing how to comment on this sudden need to leave but acknowledged it nonetheless. Reimei looked expectantly at her sensei, wondering how she'll react to this. Yoruichi finally finding her voice, spoke at last._

_" If you think its the right choice to be able to perfect your techniques then you have the right to leave. I won't say a single word about your sudden disappearance. " Reimei smiled thankfully at Yoruichi._

_" I'll be leaving tonight since in daylight I might get spotted. "_

_" Take care then Reimei-chan. " Reimei hugged her sensei, showing her gratitude for the years of training as Yoruichi returned the embrace. With one last bow, Reimei flashstepped into the night. Yoruichi sighed but knew that Reimei would make an excellent shinigami and that someday, she'll return when she's ready._

_End of Flashback_

**Reimei's POV**

It's been a couple of years since that day, I remembered it clearly. I sped through the night with the full moon hanging in the night sky, I can't help but wonder how much Seireitei might've changed since I've been gone. After the day I left, I started training with my zanpakuto, Tsumetai Kaze(Cold/Icy Wind). Interesting enough, my zanpakuto controlled over the elements of ice and wind but along my travels, I picked up another blade. The second blade was much more powerful but I hardly use it since it controlled over the element of darkness. If the time calls for it, then I'm just as skilled with Tsukuyomi(Moonreader).

My surroundings blurred as I raced towards Seireitei. The ends of the red sash that was tied around my stomach fluttered behind me as I ran. The navy blue skirt I was wearing reached about a couple of inches past mid-thigh had small slits about 3 inches up to make it easier to move around. Under that I wore black short shorts and to complete my outfit, I wore a purple top with sleeves that reached to my elbow and a V-neck along with a loose white scarf around my neck.**(A/N: The scarf isnt wrapped around like Byakuya's, its wrapped around her neck maybe twice with two ends of the scraf trailing behind her back)** Tsumetai Kaze was strapped to my back diagonally while Tsukuyomi was strapped horizontally in the red sash also. **(A/N: So basically her outfit looks like Temari's when they were rescuing Sasuke)**

As I ran along farther, I could faintly see the unbelievably tall walls of Seireitei. The soft patter of my sandals every once in a while seemed louder in the dead night to my ears**(A/N: Like the ones Nemu wears except they're black)**. I smirked a bit as I drew nearer, maybe Seireitei might've not changed but I sure did. My shoulder length hair became longer til it reached to my waist. It streaked gracefully behind me, I obviously became more mature; namely my body and height but I was still pretty short, much to my disliking and the colour of my eyes had mixed to a hazy dark purple.

I stopped just about a km away from Soul Society and slouched my shoulders a bit.

" _Oi, oi. why did you stop?__ " _ asked Tsukuyomi in a sarcastic monotone. I rolled my eyes at his tone, he always sounds like he's not interested in anything.

" The problem is how we're going to get in... " I muttered. It was the truth, the gates of Seireitei were guarded heavily and the walls were made of steel except maybe 10 times stronger.

" _Then just use me to get in, simple as that...__" _replied Tsukuyomi, " _It's obvious we can't FLY over the wall, the stupid shield would just send us flying all the way to the human world. __"_

_" __**And what was THAT suppose mean? My voice is the only thing that's gentle about me...**_" snapped Tsumetai Kaze. I sighed, Tsukuyomi does have a point since he's the element of darkness and all but he's not really the blade I mainly use. So I decided to just put my two cents in to calm Tsumetai Kaze, she can be a little short tempered when it comes to Tsukuyomi remarks and snide comments.

" Hey, hey. Tsukuyomi does have a point, the barrier surrounding Seireitei is made to rebound any spiritual energy. The only way to get through it is to use Tsukuyomi's dark element to sneak past the guards. "

" _Or scare them to death._" smirked Tsukuyomi.

" Right..that's beside the point but it's just those one timer thing for him. You know I mainly use you right Tsumetai Kaze? " I smiled. I heard her chuckle lightly, " But keep in mind you're both useful to me whether I use the other more often. " I said and began to run towards one of the gates. I slowed down when I was a couple of meters away and started to advance in a slow walking pace, just ahead I could see the gatekeeper, Jidanbo was it? If I could faintly remember, I took the west gate to leave Seireitei. Hopefully, he still remembers me.

" _I highly doubt that gorilla remembers...__" _ commented Tsukuyomi.

" Oh shut up... " I muttered back. As I neared the gate, Jidanbo spotted me. He stood up straight and glowered down at me, making it seem intimidating but I stood staring back up at him unfazed.

" Who goes there?! " His voice was the usual booming one and could possibly wake all of Seireitei. I frowned, causing them to raise the alarm was definitely the last thing on my mind.

" Can you keep it down? You wouldn't want to disturb anyone from their beauty sleep. " I said loud enough for him to hear.

" If you wish to enter Seireitei you must defeat me! " He drew his large axes and I drew Tsukuyomi.

" _Make this one quick, he doesn't deserve half of my strength. __" _ I rolled my eyes at him again and muttered lowly his command, " Leer, Tsukuyomi. " His blade changed from a normal black katana to one with a black hilt and a red dragon coiling around it, the tsuba was gold with swirling clouds for the designs and the blade gleamed in the moonlight, reflecting a small kanji that read night. The blade was thick**(A/N: Like Benihime's)** compared to Tsumetai Kaze which was rather slim. Taking Tsukuyomi's advice, I decided to end this quick by making the first move.

" Kokuangyō. (Bringer of Darkness) " I said lowly as I held Tsukuyomi upwards in front of me. Glowing red eyes glared behind my back but I remained unfazed as the whole surrounding area flooded into complete darkness, not even the moon's light was able to shine through it. There was absolutely nothing but black.

I swiftly moved towards the confused looking Jidanbo and quickly disarmed him buy slicing his ax's tops off. He was shocked at how suddenly his axes broke. I saw him look around cautiously but in this attack, I'm invisible to the human eye or in this case, a shinigami's eyes too. Or the gate's keeper eyes...Oh forget it, the point is, I was invisible either way. I meleed Jidanbo in the stomach hard and basically used hand to hand combat only. He was still confused on where to strike which gives me an advantage. A major advantage, I swiftly knocked him off his feet with a strong kick that nearly costed me my own leg but pulled it off as the giant came tumbling down. I back-flipped a distance away from him and sheathed Tsukuyomi which made the darkness disappear. Everything reverted back to the still of night where the moon clearly shone in the sky.

Jidanbo stood up shakily and was shocked to see me standing in the same spot.

" My axes...How did you...? " he stuttered, " My axes!! T.T " He finally sobbed. I rolled my eyes, he truly was a gentle giant. I strode over to him and patted his shoulder in sympathy.

" It's ok...I'll get you new ones...Some point..." I muttered. He sniffed and looked at me.

" You are clearly an opponent I cannot match up to, you are allowed to pass since you have shown me great skills of a warrior and are worthy of entering. " He said, bowing his head. I waved it off, Jidanbo turned around to his gate and lifted it til it was high enough for me to pass.

" Thanks a lot Jidanbo. " I smiled and flash stepped into Seireitei just as I heard the gate shut again. Hopefully, no one heard the gate opening and won't get suspicious. I crept through Seireitei's maze of shinigami residents, sticking close to the shadows in hopes of not getting caught. Since I was considered maybe an Ex-Shinigami, I had to see Yamamoto-soutaicho to get 'permission' to go around Seireitei without being caught and arrested for no apparent reason.

I started heading towards the first division but then a shinigami night guard appeared, I quickly dashed behind a wall to avoid being seen. Pressing my back against the wall, I took out a black piece of cloth to tie over my mouth, covering half of my face.

" _Great, now you look like a thief or something. Way to make an impression... __" _Tsukuyomi pointed out, I rolled my eyes. At least if anyone catches me, they won't get a good look of my face and that would allow me to sneak around Seireitei more like a fellow shinigami without being suspected. I smirked momentarily before peering out from behind the wall.

" _**You've influenced her...**_" muttered Tsumetai Kaze moodily. I chuckled at her remark and slipped around the corner again towards the first division, seeing as how the guard had left to patrol some other area. Just when I rounded a corner and was about to climb into one of the windows...

" HEY! YOU!! Stop right there!! " came a male voice, my eyes went wide as I turned around to see one of the shinigami night guards.

' _Uh oh...' _I thought and quickly knocked him out but that only caused more of a problem because apparently, his shouts were heard and more shinigami guards came rushing to the scene.

' _Shimitta! ' _

" Hey! " shouted one of the guards, ready to take out their katanas but I made a swift getaway. But then, matters turn into a worse case scenario.

" Red alert! There is an intruder in Seireitei! I repeat! There is an intruder in Seireitei! " Was the alert that rang throughout the night, I had to restrain myself from crying out loud in frustration. These people piss me off! They ruined my entrance by being loud. I sped through the winding walls of Seireitei, taking random turns just hoping that I didn't run into any guards, lieutenants, seated officers or worse...Captains. Fighting a captain from the Gotei 13 was the last thing I needed considering how troublesome it would be. I skidded to a stop when I was confronted by a squad that must've been organized to catch me.

" Stop right there! " shouted one of the guards as they prepared to come at me with their drawn out katanas.

' _I gotta keep moving or else the whole party will get here in no time.' _I thought, ' _But I can't kill any of them, that'll just make me a killer and it'll give them more of a reason to arrest me. '_

_" __**Why don't we just, 'blow them away?' **_ " suggested Tsumetai Kaze, sensing her smirk inside my mind. It caused me to smirk too as I drew out Tsumetai Kaze from her sheath and called out her command.

" Blow them away, Tsumetai Kaze! " I shouted and the once sky blue katana turned into a mix of silver and a slightly darker blue along with its sheath. Embroded in the sword near the tsuba(which was silver) were feather designs that surrounded a kanji for wind (its in the base of the blade, just above the tsuba) and trailing behind at the end of the hilt was a royal blue ribbon.

" Fūsajin! (Dust Wind). " I shouted before swiping my blade in the air in a horizontal motion. A huge gust of wind was created and blew the guards off to the side, creating a pathway for me. I ran past the guards who were pinned up against the wall on either side by my wind and sped around another corner in hopes I won't encounter anymore shinigamis.

' _The dust from that attack should slow down anyone who runs through that path considering how slippery it is. ' _I thought, '_Let's just hope the Captains won't be the ones I'll encounter next time. ' _

**Elsewhere Normal POV**

As soon as the alert went off, the Gotei 13 were sent out to capture the intruders. Kenpachi had sped off on his own to look for the enemy, most likely looking for a good fight. Everyone else had organized a squad with their lieutenants and soon took off on their own to search around Seireitei.

" Ne, ne Taicho...Do you have any idea why someone would intrude Seireitei at this time of night? " spoke Matsumoto as she followed the 10th division Captain, Hitsugaya Toushiro. He furrowed his eyebrows, even he couldn't come up a good reason that might answer her question.

" No. " He simply replied and continued to flash step. Matsumoto pouted a bit but left the subject, they'll find out sooner or later when the Ryoka is caught. A sudden explosion of wind currents erupted near they're area and both captain and lieutenant stopped in their tracks.

" What was that? "

" Looks like we found the Ryoka first..." muttered Hitsugaya as he sped towards the direction.

" Hey! Wait for me Taicho! " shouted Matsumoto as she followed him only to stop shortly when she caught him staring at the scene but then began slipping on her own two feet, she narrowly managed to catch herself before toppling over . The guards were somehow pushed up against the walls on either side, slightly slouching now with a faint trail of dust right in the middle but not leading anywhere.

" Everyone! What happened here? " asked Matsumoto, carefully maneuvering around the dust trail to help the lower seated officers.

" We confronted the Ryoka but he got away. " Matsumoto nodded and turned back to her taicho. He was kneeling on the ground inspecting the dust as it ran through his fingers.

" It's dust that was blown up by a strong wind current. And it looks like its made to slow down anyone who runs over this path, its slippery. " Hitsugaya let the last of the dust slip from his fingers before he stood back up, " The Ryoka might be a shinigami that has the element of wind for their zanpakuto. And is clearly well-trained, where'd he run off to? "

" Just down there. " replied a seated officer. Hitsugaya nodded and then flashstepped away towards the pointed direction with Matsumoto closely following. For a few minutes they ran around Seireitei in many directions but still couldn't track the Ryoka, Hitsugaya growled in annoyance, having been put in a wild goose chase and especially with a Ryoka who can hide their reiatsu just as good.

Just when he made another turn, cold air whizzed right by his cheek and a blur streaked right past him almost invisible to the eye. He stopped shortly and made a sharp turn back and began his pursuit after the Ryoka.

**Back with Reimei**

Oh shit! I just HAD to run by a captain of the Gotei 13 and now he's following me!!!! It's been so long since I last visited Seireitei and the stupid walls and turns confused me into going around in circles and now I got a stupid Captain after me!! I flashstepped as fast as I could go but this guy won't give up!

" _**Just calm down and just keep running! " **_scowled Tsumetai Kaze. I did as I was told and increased my speed faster, if that's even possible and started adding sharp turns in hopes of losing the captain. But I stopped suddenly when I almost ran right into a wall of ice that somehow magically appeared...Wait...Ice?

I stumbled back a bit, trying to regain my balance from my abrupt stop and stared up at the massive wall of ice that clearly blocked my path. I hastily turned around when I heard slowing footsteps behind me to find...a kid with the captain's robe on? Ok, maybe not a kid but the same age as me. I noticed that he had his zanpakuto out and immediately figured he was the one who made that wall of ice that's behind me. I could distinctly make out snow white hair and piercing aqua green eyes. Though I wouldn't admit it out loud, he was kinda cute.

" Don't move... " He commanded in a cold voice. I wasn't intimidated by his tone of voice so I just smirked underneath my cloth. If this guy uses ice element then I'll have no problem on that. But instead of fighting him right away, I'll just slip away. Using the walls as a boost, I jumped and flipped my way onto the rooftops and began running there. He followed suit and the chase was on again. I jumped down to the pathway again and started flashstepping from there but he STILL followed me.

' _This guy is starting to piss me off! ' _I soon realized a little too late that my mind couldn't wander to my thoughts for a second because I felt a creeping chill go up my ankles, almost reaching to my knees. I was frozen in the spot and I knew exactly who did it, I turned my upper body to see him advancing towards me with an expressionless face except the slight frown he wore. I quickly unsheathed Tsumetai Kaze and called out her wind attack.

" Kamaitachi! (Cutting Whirlwind) " I swiped my zanpakuto in one fluid, horizontal movement and a huge gust of wind erupted and flew right towards the young captain. He placed his arms up in defense, luckily he did since the wind also sliced his robes and arms a bit. While that was going on, I managed to pull free from my ice prison by driving Tsumetai Kaze through it. The ice broke almost instantly and I quickly made my way towards the captain. I placed Tsumetai Kaze to his throat just as the wind died down and he lowered his arms, he looked down at the blade near his throat and back at me with a glare. I smirked triumphantly under my mask but he probably couldn't see it, though he might have a sense that I was smirking at him.

I scoffed and said mockingly, just to tease him, " A captain of the Gotei 13 with only this much power, I'm not impressed. " He growled at me and lashed out violently which caught me off guard. I back-flipped a fair distance away from him and prepared to strike at him.

" Kamaitach-! " And all went black and I felt my body slump to the ground.

**There we go, hope ya enjoyed that first chapter of my new story. Promise I'll try to get back to my fullmetal alchemistXbleach story k? but plz R&R on this story, tell me whatcha think mmk? ;)**


	2. Awaken

**Vietvn: Here we are! Chapter two:) yay, anyways, if u wanna c how Reimei and Tsumetai Kaze looks in shikai form then look at my author's page, there should be a link there that will show u a pic of them kk? If u want to get a clear visual lol but other than that, start reading!**

**Chapter Two: Awaken**

Consciousness soon crept back to me after a while and I felt a searing pain through my head. I moaned and forced myself to sit up, rubbing my head with my hand, I finally took notice of the cold stone floor beneath me. And I was dressed in a plain white yukata, I narrowed my eyes in distaste at whoever decided to play dress up with me while I was unconscious. Noticing a band like feeling around my neck, I grazed the tips of my fingers over the spot to find a choker there. It was probably to seal my reiatsu so I didn't cause any damage or try to escape. I sighed, the last thing I remembered was something hard hitting at the back of my head while I was facing that Captain.

Some sly bastard must've snuck up behind me and knocked me out while I was so concentrated on the white haired captain. Why I was in the first place was a mystery to me. I shook that thought out of my head before it went on any further so I set my mind on figuring out where Tsukuyomi and Tsumetai Kaze are. Obviously my zanpakuto's would be taken away, what idiot wouldn't if they're keeping a shinigami prisoned.

I sighed, thinking about how the shinigamis are dealing with Tsukuyomi. The funny thing is was that the first time I found him, or more like stole him was in that village. He was on displayed only in a temple/shrine since the villagers couldn't touch him because he emitted a dark spiritual energy. A strong one at that, so they naturally feared him but believed that he kept other bad spirited beings(hollows and such) away because of his menacing aura. But I remembered for the very first time I picked him up, it felt like any other blade I've picked up. So in the end, I ended up keeping him for good.

I leaned back on the walls of the cell, being bored of my surroundings already. I decided to shut my eyes for a while and just enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. After a few minutes or maybe longer, I heard someone opening the door to the prison and saw a faint outline of that person in the light that was seeping through the ajar door. As my eyes got adjusted to the sudden light, I could make out faint features; crimson red hair tied into a ponytail, obviously a shinigami but a lieutenant and tribal tattoos.

" Heh, I see you're awake finally. " he snorted as he crossed his arms and stood in front of my cell. I gave him a side glance and smirked.

" So, what business does a fukutaicho have with me? " I asked smugly, knowing all to well what the answer might be. The red hair scoffed.

" You're the Ryoka that intruded Seireitei last night. The council are trying to come up with a plan to deal with you. "

" Oh, so you got fancy names for intruders like me now eh? " I asked, still smirking, " I feel special. " I can tell he was getting annoyed with my comments and uncaring attitude that I might be sentenced to death as we speak.

" What's your name? " I asked since there was an awkward moment of silent developing.

" Abarai Renji, fukutaicho of the 6th division. " he replied. I caught him looking expectantly at me for my name in return so I just complied with his silent wish.

" Tanaka Reimei. "

" Hmph. "

" How long do you expect me to be stuck in here? " I asked boredly.

" I don't know but I'm guessing for a while. " He replied with a shrug, I rolled my eyes at him. I was slowly getting frustrated with talking to this guy, it's like talking to a wall! Thank Kami-sama that the door opened yet again and in stepped the least expected person, none other than the old man himself. Renji was baffled at this and bowed his head lowly in respect.

" Yamamoto-soutaicho. " He muttered. The captain of the 1st division nodded his head in acknowledgement and leaned heavily on his cane as he made his way closer to the cell bars. I stared back at him, not surprised at his sudden appearance. But I nodded in his direction as he came and stood directly in front of me, with the exception of the bars that seperated us and with me sitting on the floor while he was standing.

" Sou-taicho, what did I do to deserve such a grand visit? " I asked smoothly with my eyes closed.

" Hey, show some respect to your superiors. Do you know who he is? " scowled Renji but he was silenced by Yamamoto-soutaicho's hand. He lowered his hand back to his cane and spoke.

" Of course you didn't do anything that might cause harm to any shinigamis in the Soul Society, Reimei-chan. " Renji eyes seemed to have gotten larger by the way he addressed me so casually. I tried to suppress the smirk that was tugging at the corner of my lip, succeeding by only letting a small, unnoticeable curve on the corner of my mouth that only I could feel.

" So, is this anyway to welcome back an ex-shinigami? I left for my own purpose but not in a way that I'm betraying the Soul Society. Or is it that your hospitality qualities are lowering quite dramatically. " Sou-taicho sighed and made a gesture to the guard that kept the keys to unlock my cell. I opened my eyes half way to see the said guard walking up to the lock and inserting the iron key in it, Sou-taicho waiting patiently and Renji looking even more baffled than the first time the Sou-taicho came in on such short notice.

When the iron door creaked open, I slowly got up and stretched my arms before walking towards the exit. The guard also released the choker around my neck and I turned to Sou-taicho.

" Can I have my clothes back now? Please? " I asked.

" Certainly, they're in that room. " Yamamoto-soutaicho gestured over to a secluded room, probably where they kept the prisoner's belonging. I went over and picked up my clothes that was tossed in the basket. I poked my head out of the room for a quick moment, looking around for Renji. I saw him standing over near Sou-taicho like a personal body guard as Sou-taicho noticed me and gave me a questioning look.

" Mind watching the door so no one comes in? I'm changing. " I said, Renji nodded and I quickly shut the door then began to put on my normal attire on. I stepped out again, the next thing to retrieve was my zanpakutos.

" And my zanpakutos..? " I questioned.

" Over there, we had a bit of trouble moving the black one. " remarked Yamamoto-soutaicho. I nodded, as expected from Tsukuyomi and went over to the two blades; one was sheathed entirely black while the other was sheathed in a white case with a sky blue hilt. I placed them back on to their appropriate places and bowed towards Yamamoto-soutaicho.

" Arigato, I'll be heading off now to explore around. " I said the last part with a wink as I walked towards the window.

" Don't cause any trouble for the other captains, Reimei. " Warned Sou-taicho, this guy still knows me too well even if its been around 4 years or in shinigami years, centuries**(A/N: Remember; every ten years in human year is around one year in shinigami years)** since I've last been here.

" Don't worry, I won't. Much.. " I smirked before jumping out and flashstepping away.

**With Renji and Yamamoto-soutaicho**

" She was an ex-shinigami? " spoke Renji, having enough courage to ask the respected elder shinigami. The Sou-taicho nodded at his question.

" She left about 4 years ago to train on her own, Reimei was a skilled and talented young shinigami who graduated from the Shinigami Academy when she was only 8 years of age and was trained under the special forces commander, Yoruichi Shihouin. " Renji stared, amazed by the new fact that someone like her is already an experienced shinigami. And by the way Yamamoto-soutaicho said about her training, she must've mastered bankai already.

' _Great, another kid prodigy...I don't think Hitsugaya-taicho would want competition, he might have the title of Captain already but by the sounds of this girl, Reimei, I think she could beat him head on in a battle. When that day comes, I gotta see how it's going down. ' _

**With Reimei**

" _What the hell took you so long?! __" _Scowled Tsukuyomi as I flash stepped over the rooftops of the walls in Seireitei. I rolled my eyes and replied mentally.

_" It wasn't long..."_

" _Yes it was! And how could you let someone knock you unconscious like that?! __"_

" _It was a surprise ok?! I was into the battle and I didn't notice it. "_

" _**Knock it off you two and watch out where you're going Reimei!! **_ " cut in Tsumetai Kaze as I almost lost my footing on one of the tiles. I was about to reply and keep the conversation going when...

" HEY ITS THAT RYOKA AGAIN!!! SHE ESCAPED FROM PRISON!! "

" Oh shut up..." I muttered moodily as I heard the shinigami troops rush out from their business to see if it was true. I slowed myself from my flash stepping to a normal run on the roof, I stopped abruptly and gazed down on the shinigami seated officers as they all stood, huddled in a group ready to draw out their zanpakuto. I sighed with one hand on my hip.

" I suggest you just continue on with your business before someone gets hurt... " I said boredly.

" We're the strongest seated officers out of the 13 divisions! We aren't scared of a little girl like you!! " shouted one of the men that had a funky hair-do. I blew my bangs exasperatedly, these guys don't know who they're dealing with which annoys me greatly. So I did the next best thing; played along with it.

" Fine but you won't be able to prove your strength without first catching me!! " I ended my sentence off with a laugh before running away without using flash steps. As expected, they chased after me. Speeding across the rooftop while they're on the ground attracted a lot of attention, which is exactly what I want. Stupid shinigami guards, they just don't know that I was intentionally released. I couldn't stop myself from laughing at their efforts to catch me.

All was going well until I bumped into this tall black wall, or should I say a person to be precise. I stumbled back and lost my footing thus resulted to me falling off the wall roof. Luckily for me though, I was a person who doesn't get knocked down so easily. I twisted my body and landed gracefully in a kneeling position on the ground, the guards that were chasing me surrounded me in a circle. The person who I supposedly bumped into jumped down and landed in front of me. Now that I got a closer look at who it was, I was to say, baffled to see Kuchiki-taicho.

" Tanaka-san, haven't you caused enough trouble coming into Seireitei already? " He asked in a dead monotone.

" Blame the guards, they're dim-wittedness was the problem. I was released out of my prison intentionally by Sou-taicho himself. " I said as a matter of fact, " Apparently, they didn't realize that. " The guards glared at me but didn't make a move since Byakuya was here. And considering how powerful he was, at least they were smart enough to know not to mess with him. He sighed and turned to leave, the guards backing away, making a path for him so I followed him by a couple of paces behind. There was an awkward moment of silent shared between us as we walked to who knows where. I didn't bother talking to Byakuya because he wasn't much of a talker himself, in fact, he didn't seem to talk at all! But I was still bored so I just tagged along silently, still wondering mentally just where the heck we're going. After a couple of minutes of walking, he stopped which almost made me bump into him. He side glanced to me and then finally spoke.

" Renji came to me saying Sou-taicho wishes for a division to supervise you until you have admittance to a division of your own. So I decide to leave you with someone you're more familiar with. "

" Aren't I familiar enough to you? " I asked, raising an eyebrow and both hands were on my hips.

" I've got more important things to do then to babysit you. " He answered straight out, I rolled my eyes at him. He took out from the sleeves of his shihakusho what looked like a small note. He handed it to me and then without another word, flashstepped away. I was about to cry out to him about who's division I'll be staying at but thought otherwise since it might make me look like a total idiot.

" _Stupid Byakuya and his flowing, long hair! "_

" _**You know girls die to have his kind of hair. **_" commented Tsumetai Kaze.

" _Women...__" _came Tsukuyomi's voice, I could picture the dragon rolling his eyes.

" _So...Who do you think the loser that Byakuya dumped me to is? " _

" _**Why don't you look at the gate to find your answer. **_" suggested Tsumetai Kaze. I turned my head ever so slightly to see the kanji for 10 painted on the big wooden doors.

" _Division 10 eh? ' _I thought dully, '_ This is going to be troublesome later on, I just know it..."_

**Aha, poor Reimei, has no idea who's she's gonna meet..._again_ X) it should be obvious but let's see how things will turn out when _he _finds out about it so stay tuned, R&R plz and thanks :)**


	3. We Meet Again

**Vietvn: Ok chapter three, umm i got nothing much to say other than start reading :)**

**Chapter Three: We Meet Again**

I jumped over the walls that surrounded the quarters of the 10th division and went straight into the building. I walked down the hallways, passing by officers and shinigamis who work under that division, they just stopped and stared at me with wide eyes as I passed them without a second look. Some stopped, took one long look and scurried off hurriedly while others seemed to panic and scurried off to inform the captain. I didn't care, all I was looking for is the main office where the captain of the 10th division is.

I walked aimlessly down the many halls, looking around for any significant doors that might lead to the office but found none or it might be that I couldn't tell. After maybe half an hour of wandering the division, I bumped into someone. I stumbled back while the other person fell on their behind, muttering a slight 'ow.' I looked down to find it was a girl perhaps maybe older than me by one or two years, had brown hair that was held in a bun with a cloth over it and had charcoal brown eyes.

" Gomen na sai, daijoubu? " I asked politely, bending down a bit at the girl. She looked up from rubbing her back and stood up quickly.

" Hai, " She replied, " I was in a rush a bit since I have a few papers and documents to deliver to different divisions. "

" It's ok, I was just heading to the 10th division office to pass a note to the captain. By any chance do you know where it is? " I asked.

" _Well, aren't you a polite one. Definately came from the influence of Tsumetai Kaze. "_

_**" I resent that. " **_

" Ah yes, the captain of this division is a good friend of mine. I'll show you to his office. " She replied cheerily and began to lead the way. I smiled at the girl and followed her. As we walked, she was doing most of the talking while I listened, answering questions here and there. Obviously, this girl wasn't aware of the fact that I was the one who caused the ruckus last night but who cares, she'll find out sooner or later.

" So what's your name? " she had asked and I replied with, " Tanaka Reimei. "

" I'm Momo Hinamori. " She replied happily, " I haven't seen you here before. Are you new? "

" Yes, I am. " I replied, fully lying.

" _Liar.__" _snorted Tsukuyomi.

" _I'm aware of that. " _

" Oh, well would you like me to show you around Seireitei? " she offered kindly.

" ...No, its ok. I've been assigned to do a lot of things since I've arrived so I'm on a tight schedule. " I replied smoothly with another lie.

" Oh ok. Well, here we are. " Hinamori announced as she cleared her voice and spoke while facing the sliding door. " Fukutaicho of the 5th division, I'm here to see Hitsugaya-taicho because he has a visitor. Is he present? "

" Come in Hinamori. " Called a male voice from the other side of the door. Hinamori slid open the sliding door and bowed, I was standing off to the side, still hidden behind the door but my silhouette could still be seen.

" What is it Hinamori? I thought you gave me the documents already. "

" Yes I have but there's someone here to see you. " She said and gestured for me to step into the office. I did without much of a care and as soon as I stepped through, I spotted snow white hair and immediately knew who the captain was.

" _So the little pipsqueak is THE captain of the 10th division? Wow, what are they thinking? " _

" _Don't act so surprised, he was the one who chased me down last night. I fully saw the captain haori on him but I wasn't sure what division he was in. Though I admit, he is a bit young to be a captain. " _I glanced at the captain, his eyes were wide and his mouth slightly a gap as he stared at me. I raised my eyebrow suggestively, giving him a weird look before he snapped out of his temporary shock.

" I-It's YOU! " he shouted surprised. Hinamori looked confused as she looked from the captain to me then back to the captain.

" Do you know her Hitsugaya-kun? "

" Hinamori! She's the Ryoka that caused the alarm last night! " Hinamori looked shocked/frightened/surprised all at the same time as she slightly took a step away from me and towards Hitsugaya. I rolled my eyes at how their taking this news, they're so pathetic. I stepped closer to the pair as they inched away slightly with the captain protectively shielding Hinamori. I couldn't help but have the urge to play around with them, that is until I heard footsteps behind me.

" Oi taicho! Sorry I'm late, I just had to run and get breakfast and-...Oh... " I side glanced from the pair in front of me to the lady standing behind who had just entered the office. She had orange hair that reached to her mid-back in waves and had a very busty form wearing the shinigami shihakusho with a pink scarf that showed a lot of her cleavage.

" Reimei-chan! I didn't expect you to be out so soon! " She said suddenly and might I add, cheerily. I gave her a strange look, wondering why she didn't react to me like Hitsugaya and Hinamori but who's to say, Renji and Byakuya didn't so why not her? I chuckled a bit at the 10th division fukutaicho.

" Yes, luckily I was given permission to be released. You must be Rangiku Matsumoto yes? " I asked casually.

" Ah hai, hai! That's me! Ano, I'm sorry since I was the one who knocked you out. "

" Oh, its ok. I've been through worst. " I said though there was a small anime vein pulsing at my head.

" Ah taicho! Hinamori-chan! I see you've met Reimei-chan here. " She smiled at the two who stared back at her with a shocking expression.

" What the hell is going on?! She was the Ryoka who showed up in the dead night and you're treating her as if she's just taking a walk in the park! " shouted Hitsugaya, annoyed that he wasn't aware of the situation beforehand.

" Ahh...Gomen na sai taicho, I was just on my way to tell you that. " Matsumoto replied while rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. Hitsugaya had a vein pulsing on his head, his left eye twitching ever so slightly with annoyance.

" Ah yes, I've been told to give this to the 10th division taicho so I guess you must be him. " I said, taking this the perfect time to hand him the note that Byakuya gave to me. I took it out of my sash and flicked it so it landed on his desk. He walked over to it and picked it up, scanning the note clearly before going wide eyed again.

" Nani?! "

" What's wrong taicho? " asked Matsumoto curiously as she went over and peered at the paper the captain was currently holding. She scanned the paper herself and after a couple of minutes,

" Ahh...Is that so? Then make yourself at home Reimei-chan! " Matsumoto exclaimed happily. I quirked an eyebrow at her, I have no idea what the note was about but something about me staying here gave me a clue. And its obvious that Hitsugaya wasn't all that excited about the news. I stood there, arms crossed, waiting for his reaction to the whole idea and to see if he'll explode in protest or something but it didn't come. What shocked me the most was what he said next.

" It can't be helped, fine but you're sharing a room with Matsumoto. " He announced and tossed the note aside. I blinked in surprise at how easily he'll comply to the request. I shrugged the matter off and sighed.

" Well, now that that's sorted out, I'll be heading out to walk around Seireitei. Ja ne... " I said while turning around and giving them a wave from behind.

" Hold it right there.. " commanded a voice I already grew to know too well. I stopped in my tracks and turned around in a huff, getting annoyed with the short captain already and his stern voice that clearly does not go with his height. He looked at me sternly with the same aqua green eyes I had seen the very first time we encountered each other except maybe this time they seem more vibrant and shocking. They held a mystery in them and was ice cold, they reminded me a lot of cold, wintery seasons. I was lost in a trance for a moment before regaining my thoughts back to reality, I realized how much tension was in the room as the two fukutaicho stood aside as the captain and I were staring at each other straight in the eye like we were looking right into the very core of our being.

**Hitsugaya's POV**

When I called to her, I only meant to do so to know the reason why she came to Seireitei in the first place and what connections she had to this place. I didn't really mean to get into a staring contest with her. As she turned around, our eyes both locked into each other; my piercing aqua green eyes with her swirling, dark amethyst ones. I couldn't help but get lost in her eyes, it almost seems like the colours in her eyes were swirling slowly in a mysterious hypnotizing way like a purple storm was brewing in the depths of them.

It felt like it took almost all my will power to draw myself away from the trance that held me to return to reality where I noticed, the whole room had gone silent that even a pin could be heard if it dropped on the floor. Reimei calmly closed her amethyst orbs before reopening them to look directly at me again. For a second, I almost thought I would be drawn into the same trance again.

" Yes, taicho? " She asked airily.

" Matsumoto, Hinamori. Please leave my office. " I said sternly without looking at any of them. Hinamori nodded hastily and quickly scurried out of the office while Matsumoto left with a nod. As soon as they were out of ear shot I focused on Reimei, who still stood there staring back at me. I have to admit, her eyes were a bit unnerving.

" Something tells me that you've been here before, haven't you? " I asked. She chuckled lightly and made her way to the couch and loosened her two zanpakuto. She set them down gently beside her as she took a seat and replied to my question.

" Sharp senses, Hitsugaya. Yeah, I've been here before. I was an academy student way back then since I was around 8-9 years old? Graduated at that age too and trained under Yoruichi-sama. " I was slightly taken aback, the girl that was sitting in front of me had graduated at a young age in the Shinigami Academy. I furrowed my eyebrows, if she was that talented and strong to accomplish that, then why did she leave?

" A person like you to graduate that early must be talented and strong, if you were to stay here you would be in the position of mastering bankai already. Why'd you leave? "

" Sentimental reasons, I felt that I couldn't accomplish anything in improving my zanjutsu. I guess its the fact that we're being cooped up in a place surrounded by other shinigamis that we feel the need to see what we're capable of on our own and with all that paperwork slowing us down, it just adds more of a reason to leave. " Reimei concluded with a shrug. I admit that she does have a point, me being captain and all, more paper work are handed to us then any other seated officers and with all that on our hands, I guess we really don't have the time to improve our techniques and abilities.

" Any other questions? " inquired Reimei.

" ...Did you really have to cause all that racket when you decided to come back? "

" It was fun, I like to make my entrance flashy. If you know what I mean. " She winked with a smirk plastered on her face. I rolled my eyes at her antics.

" You can go now, I've got more paper work to do. Might as well get it over with. " I muttered and waved her off. She shrugged and got up to leave.

" See you later then Hitsugaya-san. " She replied.

" It's Hitsugaya-taicho. " I called after her. She just waved it off and left my office while shutting the sliding door softly. I sighed, I can't help but think what a pain she might be along with Matsumoto now that she's staying here. I decided to just leave that little future event for now and concentrate on the mountains of paperwork that sat in neat stacks on one side of my desk. Better start now before it gets troublesome later on because the only thing it'll do is grow. Too bad Matsumoto doesn't realize that. Another thing to add to my list of things to do; scowl Matsumoto to do her paperwork once I finish my own.

**Well, that's the end of chapter 3. Stay tuned for chapter 4 and remember R&R tho nothing much rele is goin on but its still gettin into depth of the story k? So plz be patient :) Ohh...And umm can anyone give me pointers on how to write a songfic cuz it seems so confusing to me :\ that'll be very helpful so thanks!  
**


	4. A new Attack! Black Ice Dragon Outburst

**Vietvn: Okaayy! Now, Chapter four here it is! took a while to edit so yea, if it was too long for ur taste, i apologize. **

**Disclaimer: Aha, its not gonna be as long as the first one i did which basically covered the whole story but yea just to remind u(in short X) ) I do not own any of her attacks, bleach, the original characters of beach or...yea X) just my OC her zanpakuto (minus Tsukuyomi's name) they're commands and bankai and shikai form ok? ok :)**

**You can start reading now...**

**Chapter Four: A new Attack! Black Ice Dragon Outburst Snowstorm!**

**Back To Reimei's POV**

After leaving Hitsugaya's office, I was taking a stroll around Seireitei, trying to recall the places I used to remember before I left. It was nice to be back here, seeing familiar faces and new ones. Everyone seems to have gotten the news one way or another because none of them were giving me odd looks and avoiding me or crying out, 'ITS THE RYOKA FROM LAST NIGHT!!'

" _Oi Oi, I'm bored. Can't we go sight seeing later and just do something more 'productive?'_" asked Tsukuyomi as I walked down the many paths of Seireitei, looking at the different divisions and shinigami come and go.

" _Productive, you mean by picking a fight. No, we can't go around doing that and causing more of a scene now that we're in Seireitei. " _I replied.

" _**Exactly, so you just keep your mouth shut and enjoy the scenery around you while you can. **_"

" _Oh shut it you bird..._" muttered Tsukuyomi in response to Tsumetai Kaze. I sighed mentally as the two bickered back and forth, for blades they really are annoying to be around with. Even though no one knows it but me, I now have to walk around with an argument in my mind which was starting to turn to shouts and cursing and name calling. I felt a vein pulse on my head and was starting to lose my nerve.

" _WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?! IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE THEN FINE!! WE'LL JUST FIND A DAMN TRAINING AREA AND PRACTICE SOMETHING!!! _" The two zanpakuto immediately shut their mouths at my sudden outburst. At least it made me feel better as I started to calm down and head towards a training area somewhere.

" _Ok, works for me._" said Tsukuyomi.

I sighed as all went silent again, it was nice though not that I'm complaining. But I almost caught myself wishing that I was a seated officer or a lieutenant of a division or something because at least they had something to do. Then again, reading paper work and constantly seeing ink on paper gets tiring and annoying so I convinced myself that I was happy with where I am right now. It gave me the time to brush up on my moves and techniques since I have been spending most of the past days traveling to Seireitei. Turning another corner, I caught sight of Renji who was walking towards my direction with a few documents.

" Hey Renji! " I greeted.

" Hey Reimei, did you settle down in your division yet? "

" Yeah, I have and I met the captain. He's a bit of a sour thumb isn't he? " Renji laughed at the statement about Hitsugaya.

" He's like that, you'll get used to it. That kid is a bit too serious for his age but what do you expect, that guy's a prodigy and he's appointed as captain. Which means a lot of responsibilities to take care of so it sort of effected him. "

" Ahh I see. So do you know where a training ground might be? Since I have sooo much time on me right now. " I said. Renji nodded and directed me to one that was a bit secluded but I didn't mind. I thanked him and he and I both headed our separate ways. I walked on for a few more minutes, turning left and right every once in a while until I reached to what looked like an open field in the middle of the forest. But this was the perfect spot to train and practice some moves without being spotted. I smiled and walked towards the opening and stood directly in the middle of it. Breathing in deeply, I relaxed my body and unsheathed Tsumetai Kaze and held her diagonally facing down. I stood, poised and had my eyes shut. I swung gracefully and a soft breeze mimicked the action, a small smile crept on my lips as I swung again in a different motion. The wind, again, mimicked the action of the blade and I began to swing Tsumetai Kaze more repeatedly in a sort of dance.

The winds danced with me as they traced my swings and strikes. Flipping my zanpakuto in many ways and angles, the wind blew steadily as it increased its speed. I danced with Tsumetai Kaze, swinging her gracefully in many fluid motions as the wind danced along with me, it was soothing until I finished and stopped. The dieing winds played with the ends of my sash as it gently let it drop on my sides again and disappeared. I opened my eyes and let out a deep breath before letting my arms drop with Tsumetai Kaze at my side.

" _**Are you going to use bankai? **_" Questioned Tsumetai Kaze.

" _Not yet, I'll save that for last. " _I replied.

" _What about me? I was the one who suggested the idea of practicing. _" complained Tsukuyomi.

" _Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. "_ I waved the dragon off and unsheathed both blades now, ' _I never tried using both blades to attack at the same time. Maybe it'll be more powerful...' _I furrowed my eyebrows, if it was an attack that will be that strong then I have to use my bankai. I glanced around the secluded area, trying to pick up any trace of other reiatsu but to find none. I couldn't help but smirk as I took hold of Tsumetai Kaze and raised her up vertically.

" Frozen in time, let my remains be carried by the wind! Bankai: Aiiro Soten no Tsumetai Kaze!(Cold Winds of the Azure Sky) " I tossed Tsumetai Kaze up into the sky as a strong wind began to howl around the forest, shaking the trees and the zanpakuto was frozen over and shattered into tiny specks of white petals. The wind made them swirl around gracefully. The remains of them flew towards my outstretched arms. When they were in my grasp, they reshaped into a long dark blue sword with silver linings of a phoenix on the hilt. Carved into the blade was a kanji for ice but the blade had no tsuba, only a habaki**(A/N: Look it up if u dont no)** that was pure white which was the only thing that separated the blade from the hilt. However, even after the sword was reformed, white petals still swirled around me and with my free hand I grasped them. They slowly reformed into a fan that was white with the frames being sky blue. On the fan in a pale shade of blue were feathers and at the end was a pale blue ribbon with small silver bells at the end.**(A/N: That's the bankai sword and the fan is the size of Kagura's in Inuyasha)**

I felt my reiatsu surge through my body, I tried my hardest to keep it suppressed since I didn't want to attract anyone. Usually my outfit would change when I went to bankai form with Tsumetai Kaze but I guess since I was trying to reduce my flaring reiatsu down, it didn't take effect. Once I was sure that my reiatsu was low enough, I folded the fan and tucked it into my sash. I took hold of Tsukuyomi and took a deep breath, ready to call out his bankai form.

" Bringer of Twilight, Master of Darkness, Ruler of Eternal Night, Come Forth! Bankai: Akai Tsukuyomi!(Red Moon Reader) " The zanpakuto was outlined in a dark crimson red light before it was engulfed by it fully. When the light stopped, the blade was no longer a simple pure black katana but a sword that was black with the outline of the dragon himself on the hilt in red, a red ruby gem was set in that represented his eyes and the blade was a misty gray. At the end of the katana, were black and red ribbons.

" _Free at last! It seems like ages since you've released me in bankai. "_ exclaimed Tsukuyomi.

" _Quiet, let's just test this one out. "_

_"__** A new attack combining both our powers? **_ " asked Tsumetai Kaze curiously.

" _Yes, precisely._ " I replied. I did some first dances with the two swords just to get the feel of fighting with both blades. As I swung the swords in sync with each other in one swift motion, I started to feel more and more confident and into the mood of calling out an attack. My swings became fiercer and before you know it, I had already came up with a name for the new attack.

" Hyōton: Kokuryūbō Fūsetsu!!(Ice Release: Black Dragon Outburst Snowstorm) " I crossed both blades downwards and swiped them together in an X shape. The force of the reiatsu that was spilling out caused a huge wave of energy to erupt in the area. I concentrated as hard as I could, trying to keep both feet on the ground. The immense power felt like it was going to blow me away. Ice started to form, shooting out from the blade at a unbelievably fast rate but the ice was coated black. It soon took form of a large Chinese dragon with red eyes, it let out a roar before dashing towards the forest of trees on the other side of the clearing. As soon as it was released from my blades, I lost control and flew back a couple of feet. The black ice dragon no longer under my command, began to roam freely wherever it pleased. It curved back towards me, still roaring and growling. Everything it grazes got frozen over by a layer of black ice before it shattered into small ice shards.

I sat there, amazed at the chaos it was causing and yet a bit nervous as to how I'm going to stop my creation.

" _Don't just sit there! Do something!! "_ shouted Tsukuyomi. I blinked in surprised and barely rolled out of the way from the dragon's path. I panted, a little surprised that I'm already breathless. Guess that attack was stronger than I thought and took out that much of my reiatsu. The black ice dragon rounded over again, freezing the ground as it shot towards me again. With half of my reiatsu drained, I couldn't exactly keep up with the beast and it had me frozen to the ground up to my calf. I struggled to get out of the icy hold as the dragon made its third round and was rushing towards me again.

I took Tsumetai Kaze and tried to thaw out my legs, feeling its icy grip starting to numb my legs and soon it pricked in pain little by little. I finally broke free just as the dragon came to finish me off. I barrel rolled out of the way as fast as I could and stood to face the dragon. It let out a menacing roar, its ruby red eyes shone like gems even though they were made of ice glimmered in the mid-afternoon sun.

" _**We must destroy this beast somehow, its too powerful and it'll cause an issue if it runs amok in Seireitei. **_" pointed out Tsumetai Kaze. I tried working out a plan, it was easier said than done. I sheathed Tsumetai Kaze back into the case and unfolded the fan that was around my waist.

" Fujin no Mai! (Dance of the wind blades) " I called out and swiped the fan in a sharp motion. Crescent shaped blades hurtled towards the black dragon and as I expected, it left heavy scratches in its icy body. It gave an angry roar and charged towards me again. The faster it went, the more I noticed that more snow was swirling around its body and the winds were picking up really fast. The attack I sent wasn't enough to bring down the dragon. I flashstepped to dodge out of the way and sent out more wind blades. Sure they left huge gashes in the dragon's body but it only seemed to anger it more than weaken it.

" _**This isn't working out nicely...**_ " pointed out Tsumetai Kaze.

" _I'm aware of that! " _I shouted mentally in response. As the dragon reared around again, I unsheathed Tsumetai Kaze zanpakuto and folded the fan back up again and placed it in the sash. I pointed the blade towards the incoming dragon, my arms bended back while gripping the blade and shouted out a command, hopefully this attack with work though I didn't fully master it.

" Futon: Tatsu no Oshigoto! (Wind Release: Severing Pressure!) " I pushed the blade forward and from it, a large tornado erupted. It whirled towards the black ice dragon and engulfed it in the vortex. Rapidly, the wind vortex sliced the dragon multiple times and when it died down, the ice dragon shattered into a million pieces of ice. I collapsed, relieved that the dragon was now gone and I could take a few deep breathes. That little incident had me worn out more than I thought.

" _Well, at least it made a good sparring partner. "_ Tsukuyomi said thoughtfully, both blades reverted back to their original plain state; Tsukuyomi in a swirl of black mist while Tsumetai Kaze in a swirl of white feathers. The fan in my sash also dissolved into a whirl of white feathers.

" _Oh quiet..." _ Just when I was about to wrap it up for the day, I felt a strong flare of reiatsu speeding towards me. I was alerted and sprung up from the ground, ready to attack whoever it was. The rustle of bushes beyond the trees started to become louder and louder until a figure emerged from it.

" You...are you the source of that strong reiatsu? " I squinted my eyes a bit to see if I could get a better look at who it was but my eyes slightly widen when I found out who it actually was.

**Ohhh who cud it be? hmm well its for me to kno and u to find out next time k? remember to R&R! Thanks!! **


	5. Zaraki Strikes!

**Vietvn: Short I know T.T but i cant help it, got school stuff and shit :\ so yea bear with me and like i had said before sum where.. that i will be updating a bit slower than i wud usually decide to update a story cuz of school...so yeaaa...**

**Chapter Five: Zaraki Strikes! A Shinigami Battle Commences!**

He was the last person I wanted to cross paths with, especially if I was worn out like this. Zaraki Kenpachi, Captain of the 11th division emerged from the bushes along with his lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi. The small, pink haired lieutenant was riding the shoulder of the tall captain. I remained standing where I was and was also silent, his spirit force even made it hard to speak.

' _This guy...He's a monster with a shit load of spirit force...Why the hell does he have to show up now?! '_

" Well...Are you? " He demanded. I scoffed and sheathed Tsukuyomi back into his case along with Tsumetai Kaze.

" And what if I am? " I asked casually, crossing my arms. I tried to remain cool but with the atmosphere all messed up because of his spirit force, it was hard to even remain standing straight without having a ton of weight crushing down on you at the same time.

" You got a high reiatsu but I haven't seen ya around before...New recruit? " A grin creeped its way across his mouth as he unsheathed his zanpakuto.

" Ehhh?! I know you now! You're Ryoka-chan! You came in yesterday! " exclaimed Yachiru after a moment of silence and pointing an accusing finger at me.

" Huh...you're that masked Ryoka I was looking for all along eh? " Chuckled Zaraki as he stepped closer to me, " Then what do you know. I get to face you anyways..." He charged at me suddenly and I barely managed to unsheath Tsumetai Kaze to block his blade. I have to hand it to him, this guy was fast. We were in a dead lock with our blades, each of us were trying to push the other away and somehow overpower the other at the same time.

Well, that was what I was trying to do. Zaraki on the other hand clearly had intentions of fighting me til there was only one of us left standing. I thrusted my zanpakuto at him which made enough time for me to backflip away from him. Yachiru was off to the side, cheering on her captain. He ran right at me again without giving me much of a break. Zaraki slashed his blade continuously while all I could do was block each of his assault. He was still grinning like a mad man, wait scratch that, he IS a mad man.

" C'mon is that all you got?! Or was that strong reiatsu just a fluke?! " He taunted as he continued to slash at my sword, " Oh well, at least you're good enough to hold off my blade. " I ignored him and concentrated more on holding him off as long as I could. After that little test drive of my newest attack, I was still worn out and obviously in no condition to fight someone in a one-on-one shinigami battle, let alone fight a capatain!

He pushed me off his blade and I had to backflip to get a fair distance away from him. When I was upright again, I saw that he was gone. I looked cautiously around and heard a faint tinkle of a bell from the right. Shortly after, a rush of air came and again, I was barely able to block. Our blades shook as we were yet in another dead lock, I felt him push down even harder and it was to the point I started to struggle to keep my blade up. I gritted my teeth, desperately trying to keep him at bay. All he was doing was grinning. I directed the blades towards the opposite side, kicked him in the chest while his sword was still down under my zanpakuto and to end it, slashed him directly on his shoulder.

I jumped away as his blood spurted everywhere. Zaraki looked at the gash I had given him and his grin grew wider.

" Well, well...Looks like you're able to cut me... You should be proud of yourself, you don't know who I really am do you? "

" Not personally but considering the title, yes. You're the 11th division captain of the Gotei 13. " He continued to grin at me widely but his eyes danced with an abnormal glimmer. Something was fishy and I didn't like it.

" _**Be careful...He's not showing all of his reiatsu...**_" warned Tsumetai Kaze. I took her warning but didn't consider it immediately. I charged at him again and brought my sword down on him. He easily blocked it with his own and swiped me away, I jumped away again but something stinged the right side of my cheek. And then a warm liquid seeped its way through my skin and dripped down my cheek. I was to say, shocked that I hadn't felt it before. But I shouldn't have been so caught up at his speed, Zaraki didn't even give me a chance to even think because the next thing I knew, I felt another searing pain but far more worse. It was on the left side of my shoulder and blood spurted out of it and dripped down on to the grass like raindrops.

I hissed in pain and raised my zanpakuto just in time to block another attack from him but the force of his blade on my newly injured arm which leads to my shoulder was making the pain even worse to bear. I pushed his sword away as hard as I could, he jumped a distance away as if to give me a breather. In truth, I was thankful for his mock sympathy for me because I was out of breath, panting heavily while he merely stood there without even breaking a sweat.

" Heh, you're pathetic when it comes to one-on-one combat. Letting your guard down back there only cost you to get slashed and be an open target. " I glared at his comment, its not like I was weak, it was the fact that I get caught up with a fight with a captain after I'm worn out from a powerful attack that I hadn't mastered yet. I could easily beat this bastard without even trying.

" _Now, now. Don't get too cocky. Just focus on the battle and better make it quick, I sense that other shinigamis have been attracted by the strong spirit force. If you're about to go any further as to using your bankai or me, then I wouldn't be surprised if all 13 divisions came here._"

Tsukuyomi was right, this guy's reiatsu can attract a shinigami a mile away and adding it with my reiatsu, I'd say that they'll be able to sense it over 50 miles or more. I had to end this quickly before we get caught and I get in a deep load of shit.

" Let's just end this quick, we'll both be in a deep load of shit from the spirit force we're emitting..." I called out to Zaraki. He grinned, probably knowing all to well that I was right and prepared his zanpakuto. Out of blue, a strong wave of spirit force erupted from him and I was almost blown off my feet from it. I held up an arm to block the force from pushing me back and held onto Tsumetai Kaze.

' _His spirit force has increased drastically...Tsumetai Kaze was right, all along I've been fighting him and he wasn't even using a quarter of his full strength. Interesting, it makes me wonder if Tsukuyomi and I will be able to take him on then...' _

" _**Enough talking about the future! Focus on what's happening now! **_ " shouted Tsumetai Kaze.

" _Right, sorry. "_

" Blow him away! Tsumetai Kaze! " I shouted and the once plain katana had transformed into the same light blue and silver patterned blade I had used the night I came into Seireitei. Blue reiatsu swirled around me as I felt the presence of Tsumetai Kaze by my side, soon it was joined in with pure white lights. Both our reiatsu swirled into the air, once it died down though, we were fighting more fiercely than before. So much that when our blades clashed, it sent out a reiatsu shockwave. We pushed each other back and when Zaraki was about to come at me again, I swung my blade in a sharp motion.

" Kamaitachi! " The whirlwind headed directly towards him, he raised his sword to block it but was proven useless because him and the blade were being cut up at the same time. Deciding to finish this off, I dashed at him and raised my blade towards him.

" Kaze no Yaiba!(Blade of Wind) " I swiped the sword diagonally at him and instantly the sharpened whirlwind broke and sliced his sword cleanly in half. He stared amazed at it and I held my sword near his throat. Zaraki grinned up at me before speaking.

" You're good kid, we should do this again sometimes. "

" I'll take you up on that offer..." I replied and sheathed Tsumetai Kaze once she reverted back to her normal zanpakuto form. Yachiru came bounding over to us with a cheery smile on her face.

" Ken-chan! You were amazing! You fought so bravely! And Ryoka-chan fought well too! Thank you for playing with Ken-chan, its been a while since he had some fun. " I chuckled at her but then felt a searing pain go through my whole left arm and blood spurted out again.

" Ahh! Ryoka-chan! You're bleeding! We should take you to Unohana-chan! " Yachiru exclaimed but just then a whole lot of footsteps came rushing in all at the same time but I couldn't stay awake long enough to see who they were and finally lost to the darkness that was slowly surrounding me. Before I could feel the grassy ground, someone held me up to prevent me from falling.


	6. Troublesome

**Vietvn: Ommgg wow okayy finally had the time to update this next chapter here. I kno..sorta..uneventful but if u stick around long enuff then the real fun will begin, i promise :)**

**Chapter Six: Troublesome**

**Normal POV**

" What happened here?! Captain Zaraki Kenpachi?! And Lieutenant Yachiru?! " exclaimed one of the seated officers of division 13. Three more figures approached that were all wearing white haoris and about 2 other seated officers came too. The three captains; Hitsugaya Toushiro, Ukitake Jushiro, and Shunsui Kyoraku.

" Zaraki...What is the meaning of this? " asked Hitsugaya as he surveyed the scene. It was clear that the area had undergo a battle here. Hitsugaya then glanced over at the lieutenant and captain of the 11th division but a third body was yet to be identified. It was being held up by the tall captain and like Zaraki, it was bloodied up and had numerous scratches and a particularly big gash on the left shoulder. Hitsugaya eyes widen as he recognized the red sash and long raven-violet hair afterwards.

" Tanaka...? " he barely managed to whisper out of shock. Kenpachi made his way towards the group as best as he could without stumbling over his two feet from blood lost.

" We were just having a little fun, she's a good fighter. I hope she can fight me again and a bit more serious this time. " Zaraki nudged Reimei's limp body to Hitsugaya and he was forced to hold her up in his own arms. Yachiru was by Zaraki side, as always, keeping a close watch on her captain just in case if he were to pass out any time soon.

" Taicho! " called out a new voice, Matsumoto appeared out of the bushes and immediately noticed Reimei in Hitsugaya's arms. The blood from the gash was slowly seeping into the white captain haori he was wearing.

" We have to take her to Unohana-taicho in the 4th division. " said Hitsugaya," Zaraki-taicho, you're coming along with us seeing as just how injured you are. " The taller captain shrugged but agreed with the terms and all the shinigamis returned to their own business before any of this happened or headed towards the 4th division. Hitsugaya carried her bridal style as he sped towards the health relief center. As he arrived at the front, he was surprised that he was slightly out of breath. He didn't realize he was going that fast. One of the nurses rushed to him, a questioning look and a surprised look was on her face all at once.

" Just take her to get treated. She's bleeding badly and is losing a lot of blood. " The young nurse nodded and called for assistants to help her carry Reimei to a treatment room. Seconds later, Zaraki and Yachiru arrived and Zaraki was taken to another treatment room for his injuries. Hitsugaya heaved an irritating sigh, it was so like Zaraki to go looking for someone to fight just for the fun of it. That guy enjoyed fighting a little TOO much but at least a little damage was caused this time. Hitsugaya was rather thankful that he didn't go all out or things would've been more troublesome to deal with; cleaning up after his mess and if possible, having to deal with a dead body or two.

Moments later, Zaraki walked out along with Yachiru, all bandaged up on his right shoulder and near his stomach but all was hidden under his shihakusho and white captain haori even though he had the sleeves torn roughly. He gave a curt nod and exited the 4th division without another word to the young white haired captain. The nurse came suit after coming out of a treatment room where Reimei was supposedly resting. She spotted Hitsugaya and came toward to him, giving a slight bow before speaking.

" Hitsugaya-taicho, the girl you brought in just now is doing fine. She should be conscious soon since her wounds are healing unbelievably fast. " Hitsugaya nodded and the nurse excused herself to attend to more things that needed to be done around the 4th division. It was natural since the 4th division was like a hospital in the Soul Society. Hitsugaya heaved yet another tiring sigh and forcibly dragged himself to the room where the raven-violet hair girl would be. And sure enough, when he came through the room, the first thing he saw was Reimei sitting up on her bed. It looked like she took a lot of effort just to sit up, she backed up against the headrest to assure herself she wouldn't topple over from lack of strength.

" You shouldn't really strain yourself that much. Your wounds might open again. " spoke Hitsugaya in a monotone. Reimei looked towards the door where he was leaning against. She blinked confusedly before speaking.

" Hitsugaya? What are you-...? "

" It's Hitsugaya-taicho...And you're in the 4th division Relief Center, we sensed the enormous reiatsu growing from Zaraki and you and came. That's when you collapsed after a lot of blood loss. " Hitsugaya cut in before Reimei could finish her sentence. She took that into thought and finally recalled the moment as a look of realization dawned on her.

" Oh... " was the only answer she could give. Moments of silence passed and Hitsugaya was about to leave when he heard Reimei's voice again, " Arigato.. Hitsugaya." He stopped in his tracks and turned around with a confused look.

" For what? "

" For carrying me to the 4th division. "

" H-How did you know that I was the one-...? " Hitsugaya asked a bit baffled.

" I woke up like for 5 seconds when you were running back, I could faintly see white hair so I'd figured it was you before I blacked out again... "

Hitsugaya had no objections to that nor did he try to deny the fact but wait...Why did he care so much about how she figured out it was him who carried her? It's not like he's embarrassed or anything.

" So thank you for that. " Hitsugaya snapped back out of his thoughts just in time to give a response.

" Yeah...Don't mention it. " He said before turning around, " And it's Hitsugaya-taicho for the last time... " He added before he walked away. Reimei rolled her eyes at the back of the 10th division captain. He sure wanted everyone to know exactly who he is and expects everyone who knows him to respect him as a captain. Like hell that's gonna happen, it just gives an air of superiority. If he thinks he's so strong to become captain then he's just too cocky about his title.

But Hitsugaya was to say, a natural leader despite his age. Personally, she thinks that having subordinates were too troublesome and it means more work for her. Somehow though, Hitsugaya sees past all those flaws and respects his loyal seated officers and shinigami. Reimei had to slap herself mentally for thinking such thoughts on a certain captain. It's not like she was praising him or admiring him in someway.

The most mysterious part was; why is she even thinking about him in the first place? Now that was a hard question. If anyone were to walk in at this very moment, they would've seen Reimei with a scowl on her face. She was so wrapped up into getting her thoughts straight that it was clearly visible to anyone that she was having a war with herself in her mind.

Reimei finally heaved a sigh and came to the solution of just forgetting about it for a while. She glanced out the window of the room she was currently in. The sky was slowly starting to mix into shades of pink and orange, signaling the setting sun and the coming of night. She sighed and briefly glanced down at her bandaged shoulder, guessing she was going to stay at the hospital for tonight. Reimei settled back in her hospital bed and slowly closed her eyes.

-

Not really knowing how long she had slept for, Reimei opened her eyes to see that it was still rather dark. She sat up in bed and rubbed her sleepy eyes til she got rid of her blurry vision. Slowly, she slipped out of bed and slowly moved her shoulder muscles. They seemed to work fine without so much of a small prick of pain here and there so she decided it was alright to just leave. Reimei glanced down at herself, seeing as how she somehow always managed to get back in the white yukata every time she was knocked out. She scanned the room for any signs of her clothing and finally found them neatly folded in a chair in the corner. Picking up her clothes, she went into the small restroom that was conveniently there in th room. She slipped off the yukata and replaced her clothing with her original ones. Making one last tight tug on her sash, she stepped out of the room immediately spotting her two zanpakuto perched against the wall near the window.

Already she could sense Tsukuyomi's impatient aura that was filling the room like water. She rolled her eyes and hastily picked up the two blades before one of them starts to scowl her for being so weak and getting knocked out and what not.

**Remei's POV**

Strapping them securely; Tsukuyomi horizontally and Tsumetai Kaze diagonally across my back, I took one last scan around the room just in case I missed anything before I slid the window open and jumped to the ground. I ran off forward as the 4th division building was slowly starting to shrink in the distance, I wasn't sure if I wanted to head back to the 10th division just yet so I slowed to a walk. The night was calm and the moon shone brightly so it lit my path pretty well, most of the divisions were dark, signalling that everyone must be asleep. I breathed in the night air, it was a little chilly but it was soothing.

Just as I rounded a corner, I bumped into someone. Catching my balance, I took a glance up at who it was only to find a stumbling shinigami. He was rather large and bulky but had a dumb look on his face.

" Hey! Waaatchh where you're gooooinnng lil' girl! " He slurred his words in a big jumble that I didn't understand half of it. I scoffed to myself and began to walk around the drunk idiot but then felt a hand grab my shoulder. I winced since the hand just had to touch my still healing shoulder. I narrowed my eyes and turned around while glaring dangerously at the drunk bafoon in front of me.

" Youuu looookit kinda cuuutee...Waannna come and play? " He tried to act seductive towards me but I was far from seduced by this...this thing. The only thing this action did to me was boil my anger, I turned around again, not having a reason to waste my life on such a drunk lowlife that stands before me.

" I suggest you head on home before you get hurt...Dangerous things lurk in the shadows at night, wouldn't want anything to happen to a fellow shinigami...now would we? " I said in a dangerously low tone of voice with a sharp, ice cold edge to it. As I walked away, the drunk idiot grabbed my hand but I immediately slapped it away.

" Heh...That'sss why I'mm bein nice to yoouuu. I don't wannnt something cute like yoouu to go to waste... " He slurred again and attempted to grab me again but I shunpoed a great distance away from him, still walking forward.

" _Aww...Could we at least leave him unconscious?_ " begged Tsukuyomi. Though this drunk was provoking me, I had to restrain myself from using any force unless necessary.

" _Only if he pisses me off...then fine, I won't hesitate him to send him to the human world..._" I said back to Tsukuyomi as I continued to walk on peacefully once again before the encounter. But just when I thought nothing could go wrong, something pinned me against the closest wall. The strong smell of sake surrounded me and almost choked me, I glared icily at the same drunk I saw before. This guy just won't give up.

" Hey! When I sayy come wit mee...then you do it...I'm a seated officer in the 11th division...You're just a ryoka... "

I glared and kept on a straight face before speaking lowly, " Unhand me and keep your dirty hands away from me... "

" Watcha goin do huh?! Girly... "

I was on my last nerve, I brought my knee up to his groin. Almost immediately he let go while cursing under his breath painfully, I flipped over him and landed with my back still facing him. I still could hear the streams of curses and then a clank of a blade being unsheathed. Next came footsteps, I imagined the drunk stumbling his way over to me but I wasn't going to let him take a free blow on me.

" Leer, Tsukuyomi... " I muttered lowly under my breath. I slowly unsheathed Tsukuyomi half way out and as the moonlight caught his blade's glint, I muttered a simple attack, " Shi no Kumi no Jutsu...(Death Foreseeing Technique) " The man froze suddenly, dropped his sword and his eyes went wide. I side glanced him briefly to see him collapse on his knees and soon fell to the floor. I let go of Tsukuyomi's hilt and his blade smoothly slid back in it's case. I began to walk away from the scene, not bothering to glance back at the terror stricken man lying on the ground.

" _The moon shines brightly tonight Tsukuyomi, Tsumetai Kaze...though it was a troublesome night..._"

**Oh goshh...lol but i wud luv to do that to someone who's tryin to harass me in some way X) okayy R&R plz**


	7. Something's Going On Here

**Vietvn: I'm sooo srry that i didnt update sooner. I caught an unexpected cold XP and yeah high school XP srry**

**Chapter Seven: Somethings Going On Here...**

After that little ordeal, I headed back to the 10th division to catch up on a short sleep. I slipped through the windows of the building and made my way to Matsumoto and my room. Gently sliding back the door, I saw Matsumoto sprawled all over the bedsheets, faintly snoring in a deep sleep. I rolled my eyes and decided to leave her peaceful slumber alone. Sliding the door back again, I made my way to Hitsugaya's office. The office was dark so I guessed Hitsugaya didn't have to work overtime on paperwork. I smiled contently and made my way over to the couch. I removed Tsumetai Kaze and Tsukuyomi, gently placing them on the small wooden table before flopping on the couch. Sleep didn't come easily to me so I laid there, with my eyes opened staring aimlessly at the ceiling, not looking at anything in particular.

I heaved a sigh and rolled over on my side, facing the two blades that rested in front of me.

" _**You should sleep Reimei...You need it. **_" suggested Tsumetai Kaze, her voice airily as she spoke. Stifling a yawn, I agreed mentally with her and slowly closed my eyes once more before dozing off.

**Hitsugaya's POV**

Morning came and as usual, I was up earlier than most of the division. I did my daily routine, which meant showering, brushing teeth etc. etc. I got into the shinigami robes and placed the white haori over it before heading out my room. I headed down towards my office door and when I slid it open, I surprisingly found Reimei asleep on the couch. Now how she got there in the first place from the hospital is a question but probably she must've left at some point yesterday without no one knowing.

I shook my head at her and made my way over to my desk, noticing the large stacks of paperwork that had somehow 'magically' appeared on my desk. I frowned, it was obvious that Matsumoto had placed them there since her desk was surprisingly clear. I sighed and took a seat behind my desk, might as well do them since its still early in the morning. Everyone was probably still asleep.

After coming to only a stack of paperwork left, a soft moan came from within the office and I knew too well where it came from. Placing the sheet in front of me on the right side and grabbing another to work on, out of the corner of my eye I could see Reimei slowly sitting up on the couch while rubbing her sleepy eyes.

Moments later, she finally glanced towards me. Blinking a couple of times, she managed a soft greeting to me, still obviously half asleep. I nodded my head to acknowledge her and after that, nothing more was said. Finishing the last of the paperwork I planned on doing that morning, I finally glanced up but to find no raven-violet haired girl sitting on the couch anymore. I blinked, surprised that I hadn't heard her leave. Was she that silent? I shrugged and got up to get a cup of green tea.

Heading out, the division looked a little more lively now that it was around 8-9 o'clock in the morning. Making my way to the lounge, I heard the seated officers and other shinigamis muttering something about what supposedly happened last night.

" I heard he's in bad shape, well mentally. "

" Something must've spooked him that bad huh? I sure feel sorry for him... "

" Yeah, they say he was found unconscious but his eyes were wide with horror and he was shaking badly. "

I raised an eyebrow at the conversation I heard but judging from them, something must've happened to a shinigami late at night yesterday. But the real question of it all was what? Rumors were that he was scared literally half to death though I find it a bit impossible, seeing as how we're already dead. I'll find out sooner or later, I left the matter alone, grabbed a cup of green tea and headed out of the lounge. Along the way, I almost ran into Matsumoto.

" Taicho! There you are! Did you hear about the rumors going around?! " She asked excitedly.

" If you mean this attack on a shinigami late last night then yes I've heard... " I replied in a sigh.

" Yeah! They say he-...! "

" Was found unconscious but his eyes were wide and he was in a severe state of shock. " I cut her off and began to walk past her while sipping idly on my cup of tea. Matsumoto turned around and began to pester me about how people were trying to figure out what had happened and it was the most excitement they had in a while.

" Matsumoto... " I said sternly, halting her rambling as I stopped in front of my office door. Matsumoto skidded to a halt and looked questioningly at me. Not bothering to turn around though, I said, " I expect you to come back here immediately to do your half of the paperwork or else... " Matsumoto eyes slightly widen in shock, seeing as how I noticed she put HER paperwork on MY desk. She gave a nervous laugh and nodded her head.

" H-Hai taicho..." She scurried off to get breakfast while I walked onwards down the hallway. Other shinigami officers were already doing their duties in the division and were bustling around hurriedly, some even multi-tasking. Just up ahead, I caught sight of a female figure walking towards my direction. On closer inspection, I realized that it was Reimei. She noticed me also and gave a small lazy wave.

" Ohayo, Hitsu-san. "

" It's Hitsugaya-taicho... " I seethed at the new nickname.

" Oh? Taicho or not, I consider you as the same rank I am. " She said, smirking while she fell into a walk beside me. I glared at her before taking a sip of my tea.

" You're not even in a rank and you proclaim yourself that you are an equal to Captains? You didn't even stay conscious long enough after a battle with Zaraki. "

" Oh shut it, I was training and working on a technique before he decided to show up and challenge me. I was clearly worn out. "

" Hmph, and you can't even control your own attacks? " I smirked. Now it was her turn to glare at me.

" It was new! You don't expect me to learn something on the first try. "

" Some people have that talent to but clearly you're not one of them. " I replied calmly.

" ARE YOU SAYING I'M WEAK?! " She exploded from beside me, she stomped and stood directly in front of me which caused me to stop.

" Maybe... " I implied, trying to walk around her but she blocked me again. She looked furious and if looks could kill, her glare might've taken out the whole of Soul Society.

" You wanna see for yourself then HUH!? Chibi-chan!? " I felt the blood in my veins start to boil with anger and I finally stopped my efforts to go around her.

" C-C-Chibi-CHAN?!?!?! " I shouted, dropping the cup in rage and getting up in her face as she did with mine, " I'M TALLER THAN YOU!!! "

" BY AN INCH?! YOU THINK THAT SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF?! IT'S HARDLY NOTICEABLE! "

" AT LEAST NOTICEABLE TO ME SO I COULD RUB IT IN YOUR FACE!! " Each time we threw an insult at each other, we tried to 'out tall' the other by standing to our fullest heights and slightly raising our heads up.

" WANNA TAKE IT OUTSIDE THEN HUH?! CHIBI-CHAN?! "

" STOP CALLING ME THAT!! AND YEAH WE'LL TAKE IT OUTSIDE, LET ME JUST THROW YOU OUT THE WINDOW FIRST!!! "

" LIKE THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN!! YOU CAN'T EVEN LIFT UP A PAPER CLIP WITHOUT STRUGGLING!! "

**Normal POV**

It was to the point that both of their temper has snapped and at the same time, launched at each other. They tumbled down on the ground and rolled over on top of each other to get the upper hand all in the while, shouting insults at each other. Officers from the division had poked their heads out to see a rather interesting sight. They stared at the pair on the floor, a little shocked that the serious 10th division captain was having a wrestling match with a girl.

Matsumoto just happened to come back from having a rather long breakfast break in hopes of sneaking in without her captain noticing her tardiness. But like everyone's first impression on the scene that greeted her, she was shocked beyond all reasons. She stared down at the wrestling pair as they continuously shouted at each other and rolling on top of each other. It also seemed like they didn't notice the attention they were attracting either so Matsumoto, a little reluctant, spoke up first after she shooed the rest of the division members away.

" Umm...Taicho... " She called out nervously. The child prodigy glanced up from pinning Reimei onto the floor finally to look at Matsumoto.

" What?! " He asked annoyed. Matsumoto was a bit lost for words since she didn't really know how to break it that he was in a very awkward position without embarrassing him.

" Uhh... " She pointed at him with a weird look on her face. Hitsugaya furrowed his eyebrows, not really getting the message until his face broke into realization after a couple of minutes. From Matsumoto point of view, Hitsugaya was indeed pinning Reimei and looks to be straddling her waist while Reimei was sprawled underneath him, the red sash around her had loosened in the fight and was in the middle of tugging his robes which exposed part of his well-toned chest.

Reimei's eyes widen along with Hitsugaya's as they glanced at each other before quickly getting up and stepped away from one another as far away as the hall would allow them. They avoided eye contact with the other as Reimei tightened her sash and Hitsugaya fixed his robes all in the while, blushing. Matsumoto had to suppress a laugh as she watched the both of them. A moment of silence passed through them before Reimei calmly turned to walk off, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Once she had disappeared down the hallway, Hitsugaya began to walk off too with Matsumoto trailing behind him. Curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't stop herself from asking.

" Ano taicho...What were you two doing...? " She asked, looking expectantly at the white haired captain. Hitsugaya immediately stopped and turned sharply around, surprising Matsumoto before speaking in a low voice.

" None of your business...If I catch you or anyone in this division talking about it beyond these four walls...They'll be reporting to me... Understood? " By the looks on his face, there was hell to pay and Matsumoto laughed nervously, agreeing to the terms before he turned around and proceeded to walk onwards again. Matsumoto sighed as she shook her head at her captain, he might be at a higher rank than her but he's still a kid. The memory of it made a smile creep on her face.

' _I wonder... ' _thought Matsumoto before she headed off to another direction absentmindedly. The smile slowly changed to a devious smirk on her face as she walked off, thinking of the possibilities that were swimming in her mind right now.

" MATSUMOTO!!! GET BACK HERE AND DO THE PAPERWORK!!! " A voice shouted down the hallway. Snapping out of her thoughts, Matsumoto quickly rushed off away from the office in hopes of hiding from an angry taicho.

Reimei strolled down the streets of Seireitei, she was too focused on getting her thoughts straight to know where exactly she was going.

' _So what if we got into a fight...? That little snowman is so annoying...'_

_" __Then why were you pulling his shirt eh? "_ smirked Tsukuyomi, Reimei already knowing too well that the dragon was grinning deviously.

" _Shut up, I was trying to get him off of me. "_

_" __**But you secretly enjoyed it and did you see that toned chest?! Wooo! " **_Reimei's face was beet red by now and she tried her best to hide it from passer-byers by keeping her gaze to the ground.

" _TSUMETAI KAZE!!!!!!!!!!! " _ The white and icy blue phoenix chirped with laughter with Tsukuyomi. The two obviously enjoyed embarrassing their mistress. Reimei of course, didn't find it all too amusing.

" _**Just kidding...But you know you were checking him out. " **_

" _END OF DISCUSSION! " _shouted Reimei and she then proceeded to block the two zanpakuto from her thoughts. Reimei continued to stroll down the streets in peace and quiet but it soon lead her back to thinking about that little wrestling match she had with the tenth squad captain.

' _He's so weird...seriously. I don't know how he could be accepted as a Gotei 13 captain. ' _ Just as she rounded the corner, something caught her eye. She glanced over and faintly saw two figures walking through a gate, or more specifically, a gate to the human world. When they were about to disappear, Reimei caught sight of crimson red hair and a flowing scarf and she immediately knew who they were.

' _Why are they going to the human world for...? '_

**Im pretty sure u kno whts that all about BUT res assured I am NOT gonna follow the WHOLE bleach story line for this, that's just insane. I got something else in stored so yeaa stay tuned if u wanna find out ;D R&R PPLZZ!**_  
_


	8. The Execution of Kuchiki Rukia

**Vietvn: SOOO SRRYYY it took soo long to update a measly chapter from this story but I cudnt find the time to since my comp time is limited now...stupidd mathh hmw and geo crap.. **

**Chapter Eight: The Execution of Kuchiki Rukia**

As days passed by for me, being in Soul Society wasn't much of a 'vacation.' In fact, it was downright boring. It was the same routine for me; wake up, get ready for the day, bump into the grumpy, uptight, little snowman, have an argument, almost getting into another wrestling match and then later on, I come back from my stroll around Seireitei after unsuccessfully finding something to do. I usually ended up helping Matsumoto with her paperwork, seeing as how she's always getting herself drunk and passing out on the couch.

So far I haven't been caught and/or questioned about how the paperwork was finished when clearly Matsumoto was passed out. Well, at least they have their suspicions but no one really complained about it. I was just about finished the last of the sheet when I heard footsteps coming. I immediately placed everything back where they were as if they haven't been touched in the first place, and quickly hid behind the desk.

Once the sound of the door opening and closing came, next came an annoyed voice.

" MATSUMOTO!! WAKE UP AND DO YOUR PAPERWORK!! " No doubt about it, it was the abominable snowman coming to wake up his lazy vice-captain. There was no response after the abrupt shout so whitey sauntered over to the desk, muttering curses under his breath and stopped right in front of where I'm currently hiding.

I steadied my breathing but I felt my heart rate double a bit. I can feel his presence right there and though I hate to admit it, it was intimidating. It was so strong and powerful it was almost unbearable to be within a meter's range. But I kept calm, after a moment the footsteps retreated to what seems to be the door. The sound of opening and shutting the sliding door signaled me that he was gone. I peeked over the desk, the room was left as it was; a sleeping, drunk fukutaicho on the couch and the pens were there and everything. The only thing missing was the small stack of paperwork I still had to do.

My theory was that shorty came and took them after he couldn't wake up Matsumoto. I stood up straight and rounded around the desk to the front. Hands on my hips, I let out a sigh.

" Man...I have nothing to do now... " I muttered.

" So you're the one who's been doing her paperwork. " At this point, I jumped, hastily took a step back and let out a rather loud yelp all at one time. My heart beat doubled over and I placed a hand over it in hopes of calming it down before it bursted through my chest. I turned around, still a bit shaken up to only meet face to face with a smirking white haired captain, arms crossed with the papers in his hands and looking smug. At the look, I regained my composure and acted as if nothing happened.

" So... " I asked without a care or at least tried to. Hitsugaya only let out a chuckle and proceeded to walk towards me. My instincts picked up and I immediately started to take steps back. This action made him smirk even wider if possible without breaking into a devious grin. Something is going through that mind of his but whatever it was, I don't like it.

I kept a steady eye contact with him, to show him I'm not afraid of whatever he was about to do. But even if I did do that, I was hoping he wouldn't catch flecks of emotions in them, particularly my uneasiness. Knowing him, I think he already caught it. My slow trek backwards halted when I reached the wall but yet he still kept coming towards me, ever so slowly still with that smirk on his face. When he came at least a foot away from me, he leaned in close to my face and whispered in my ear.

" You're a bad liar, even though you didn't say anything. " Dammit, he caught onto me. His hot breath sent tingly feelings down my spine, I had to restrain myself from shivering but to make matters worst, I felt his lips brush past my ear as he turned to head out the door still with a smirk on his face. I was frozen to the spot, unable to move. I let the tingly feeling wash over me and then quickly pass. That was probably the only interesting-not to mention awkward- thing that happened to me but little did I know that there was more in store for me than a surprisingly seductive 10th captain.

-

Later on in that afternoon, after getting my thoughts straight after that little 'incident,' I found out that there was a captain's meeting. Like usual, it was being held in the first division building with Sou-Taicho. Every captain was to be expected there which means, no snowman to bother(Not that I wanted to bother him anyways...I might get raped this time..Who knows) Apparently, at the very same time, a vice-captain's meeting was being held too. Perhaps it concerns the same matter that is being discussed in the captain's meeting. If it's that important for both the captain and the vice-captain to know, then it must be pretty big.

But what's really unfair about the news is that I'm neither a captain of a division or a vice-captain which means, no one to bother! Argh! I was left out to be bored out of my mind. I didn't want to have a chat with some next seated officer, it would seem too troublesome to introduce myself and all that stuff. Jumping on the roofs of Seireitei, the thoughts of finding something to do was desperately running through my mind. Both the captain's meeting and their vice-captain's were going to take a while to finish, sitting and waiting wasn't something I would enjoy doing. Especially if its waiting for that little snowman to come out and tell me the news of what went on in there.

I shook my head, I had once again, caught myself thinking about that little snowball. I couldn't quite understand it, why would someone with the likes of him, be on my mind? It's not like I like him...right? No, no, definitely no thoughts like that. Definitely not. He's only someone to annoy, which was pretty funny because of his reactions...damn it!

I stopped abruptly and let out a frustrated sigh and plopped down onto the tiled roof. Resting my head in my hands, I was clearly out of ideas of what to do, not that I had one in the first place. Glancing down below me, seated officers would pass by every once in a while, making sure everything is still in order while their Taicho and Fukutaicho attend the meeting. Sighing, I turned my gaze elsewhere, hoping to spy on anything that might at least catch my interest. In a failed attempt, I decided to go off elsewhere. Getting up I started to jump from roof to roof around Seireitei.

As I reached the 20th roof away from the 10th division, I spotted something or more specifically someone. Crouching down a bit to get a better look, I noticed that the person was none other than Kuchiki Rukia. And if I'm not mistaken, the younger sister of Byakuya Kuchiki, 6th division captain. She was being escorted by shinigami guards towards the prison cell where they had first kept me. I watched as they lead her there, her head hanged low as she walked. I haven't talked to Rukia much before I left Seireitei but we weren't complete strangers to each other.

They disappeared into the tall white tower. I stood up straight and stretched my legs.

" _**I have a feeling that Kuchiki Rukia is the center of attention of all of this... "**_

_" In other words, the meetings are about her. "_

" _Yup...And Snowman-san is gonna tell me exactly what happened with her. " _I concluded and started to head to the 1st division building. Upon arriving there, the place was still deserted. I figured that everyone was still behind those large white doors that lead to the meeting room.

I huffed, thinking that maybe I shouldn't have used shunpo to get here. I looked around, nothing much to do here so I decided to pace around for the heck of it. Back and forth, back and forth, it was around my 50th lap when the doors to the meeting room opened and all the division captains filed out. Some discussing quietly with each other while others just headed back to their division without a care. I looked towards the door, in hopes of finding the short white haired captain. There was Kuchiki-taicho who strolled out casually with the same emotionless face on, Ukitake-taicho of the 13th division walked out also, giving a small smile and nod towards me as he passed. I returned it slightly but that wasn't exactly the right white haired person I was looking for.

I continued scanning for Hitsu-san but still can't seem to find him.

" Lookin' fer someone Reimei-han? " I glanced at the person in front of me, Gin Ichimaru of the 3rd division. He walked casually towards me, grinning like he always did. I gave him a 'oh-it's-you' look, I never really liked that grin on his face. It always made him seem like he's up to no good.

" Could it be Jyuu-bantai taicho-han? " His grin widened. I just gave him a side glance and continued to scan the captains, looking for the specific 10 kanji on their back.

" Aww no need to be so mean Reimei-han... " He said in a fake hurt voice.

" Ichimaru-taicho, you should be on your way now... " I said, hoping he would leave.

" Hm..Maybe I should but ya know...You're makin it a lil too obvious there, if ya know what I mean... " Smirked Ichimaru.

" No, I don't. " I replied sharply. He chuckled but then added.

" Well, think what ya want. Jyuu-bantai taicho-han has someone precious already just so ya know... " I gritted my teeth, he was getting on my nerves but just when I was about to tell him off, he was gone when I turned. I glared at the spot he once stood but then saw a flash of white spiky hair out of the corner of my eye. I turned just in time to catch Chibi-chan heading back to his division with his fukutaicho close behind him. I followed, easily catching up beside the two.

" Reimei-chan! What are you doing here? " Asked Matsumoto as we ran.

" Nothing much, just bored so I waited for the meeting to be over. "

" Oh..I see. " We reached the division building and stopped outside of it. Matsumoto excused herself and headed off to somewhere, probably to a bar but before Hitsugaya walked in, I grabbed the sleeve of his shihakusho. He stopped momentarily as he felt the tug.

" What is it Tanaka...? " I let go of his sleeve and spoke out seriously.

" Just wondering what was being discussed in the meeting...Considering I just saw Kuchiki Rukia being arrested so something's up. " Hitsugaya took a moment to think about the issue but then finally told me.

" She broke the shinigami law of giving a human her powers. Therefore, she's being sentenced to execution. It would take place 14 days from now. "

**Dun Dun Dunnnn...Some filler that is obvious the a person who's seen this episode so its predictable of wht will happen...or is it? LOL IM the author here, i have the power to change the plot and add stuff to it So R&R plz! I'll try to get bak to this story...after I finish my hmw...**


	9. When There's Love, There's Jealousy

**Vietvn: WOW...its been a while since i updated...actually i forgot wen i last updated but its too long for my taste so n e ways..here's chapter nine!**

**Chapter Nine: When There's Love, There's Jealousy**

Everything has become a little more lively now that the execution of Kuchiki Rukia was on the top of the list of shinigami news. Days passed and her execution was drawing nearer and nearer. The only other thing that happened with her was that Rukia has transferred into another cell called the Shrine of Penitence.

Other than that, nothing much has happened. Hitsugaya was off on another meeting again which left me in the division with Matsumoto. We were in his office on the couch just lazing around, well, maybe Matsumoto was lazing around but I clearly showed myself that I was bored. Dead bored, so bored that I almost thought I would end up missing the little snowman. But still, at least with him there, I would have something to do which is bugging the hell outta him.

" You're thinking about him aren't you? " A voice cut me out of my chain of thoughts. I turned to Matsumoto questioningly.

" What? "

" You're thinking about Taicho ne? " Matsumoto repeated smugly.

" No I'm not. " I replied.

" Don't deny it Rei-chan, you liiikkkeee him! " teased Matsumoto. My face scrunched up and with an annoyed look I retorted.

" No I don't! "

" Ohh? Then why are you blushing? " I hadn't realized that I was blushing but when I gently touched my face, it was burning hot. I turned away from Matsumoto who was in hysterics. Giving a side glare at her, she finally calmed down.

" You do Rei-chan! Rei-chan has a crush on Taicho! "

" You can't prove it... "

" Oh yea? Just now when we were just sitting here, you should've seen the look on your face. It's like you're staring out into space and everyone once in a while, you would let out a sigh. And it sounded so dreamy like. " I couldn'tw believe what she's telling me...Was I really doing that?

" You always pick fights with him out of nowhere AND you're always so unlively when he's not around. " I couldn't say anything back, I admit that I've caught myself thinking about him one too many times but did it really show? I slouched back on the sofa I was on, this action made Matsumoto think I admit defeat so she bounded over from the couch across from to my couch and plopped down right beside me.

" It's ok, I think Taicho likes you too but like you, he doesn't want to admit it. " I looked up at her, curiosity getting the better of me and my hopes-of-being-liked-back instincts perked up. Matsumoto smirked at my hopefulness, I immediately dropped the look and urged her to continue casually while trying not to make it seem obvious.

" How so? "

" Well, usually he's always doing paperwork and when that happens, nothing gets to him. Maybe if someone were to call him short or a kid then maybe he would shout but then he'll drop it. But for you, he goes on as long as you have something to say back at him. I think he just uses it as an excuse to talk to you. " I was mildly surprised when I heard that.

" How would you know? " I asked again.

" Rei-chan, I've been working with him ever since he became Taicho of this division. Within those years, I've learned a lot of stuff about him. "

" Like how he doesn't like to be called short, kid, or his first name? " I joked. Matsumoto laughed.

" And Shiro-chan. "

" Shiro-chan? " I laughed, I have to use that name to see the looks on his face the next time I see him.

" Yeah, Hinamori-chan calls him that. "

" Hinamori? Oh you mean that girl I first met? The one who showed me to his office? " I had only seen her once and only once and that was when she showed me Hitsugaya's office the first time I found out I was staying in his division. Other than that, I hadn't bothered much to know which division she was in or who her taicho was.

" Yes her. She's a childhood friend of Taicho. And he's a bit overprotective of her too. " answered Matsumoto. I nodded my head; childhood friend? So that's how she knows Hitsugaya. Hmph, figured something along the lines. But something in my head popped up when Matsumoto had said she was a childhood friend, as if that word triggered it to. Something that was equivalent to a six year old girl glaring at her friend because of the new teddy bear she got.

Jealousy. And that worried me deeply, I wasn't like this before so why now?

Just when I was about to lose myself in my thoughts, the sudden sound of an alarm went off. It was the exact same alarm that had rang throughout Seireitei when I had first came. Matsumoto immediately got up and ran out of the division. I followed soon afterwards just in time to hear the announcement.

" Alert! Alert! Seireitei is being invaded! I repeat, Seireitei is being invade! "

" Another Ryoka attack? " muttered Matsumoto as she sped off to probably find her Taicho. I glanced around, not really knowing what to do in this kind of situation; help out the fellow shinigamis or go off finding the Ryokas myself. I chose the second but before I could make a decision on which way to go, a sudden explosion erupted from the sky.

Glancing up, I saw that the barrier around Seireitei was holding off something that was trying to break through. On closer inspection, it looked like a glass orb. A few seconds later, the orb exploded through the barrier with many streaks of light separating from each other. The streaks landed in different parts of Seireitei and once again, the shinigamis each rushed off to a direction, hoping to catch the Ryoka.

I sped off to a direction also, picking the farthest one to the north. Many times, I passed by a shinigami search squad. I tried sensing their reiatsu, one of them had already engaged into battle with probably a seated officer of a division. I chose to follow it since it was the strongest aura I could feel. Upon arriving though, I saw the 3rd seat officer of the 11th division, Madarame Ikkaku. Fighting him was an orange haired shinigami with a large sword on his back, wrapped in bandages. They were just getting pumped up to fight each other, even though they haven't started yet, I already knew who had the upper hand.

5th seat of the 11th division, Ayasegawa Yumichika had left to chase down the ryoka's companion.

I perched myself on a roof not too far away from them and watched their fight commence, after a few struggles, the orange haired shinigami won the battle. Before turning to leave, Ikkaku had stopped the ryoka and had exchanged a few words with him before passing out. Carrot top left, probably to go search for his companion.

-

After a few minutes of following carrot top, he finally met up with his companion. As they continued to run around in Seireitei blindly, they were confronted by more shinigami squads from the 11th divison. Apparently during the whole encounter, they had accidentally ran into the 7th seat of the 4th division, Yamada Hanataro. Using him as a hostage in hopes of getting away from the 11th squad which failed miserably much to my amusement, they were lucky to escape when something else had distracted the 11th sqaud.

I got bored after following them for a while so I settled myself on a tree branch and just let the seated officers and squads do the chasing. If something comes up, I'll check it out later. But for now, I'm taking a nap.

I don't know how long I've been sleeping for but I was rudely woken up when a rush of panicking footsteps stampeded pass me and my tree. A couple of voices were heard and that was just about it before I finally decided to open my eyes to glare at whoever was making that ruckus. Surprisingly, the only person I caught was none other than Momo Hinamori. And apparently she spotted me just when she was about to rush after the noisy group that just rushed pass me.

" Oh Reimei-chan! What are you doing there?! Don't you know what's going on in Seireitei right now? " She asked.

" Of course I know what's going on..." I replied cooly, the way she asked me that in the first place made it seem like I was the stupid one here.

" Then what are you doing there? Renji was just rushed to medical aid after he was found bloodied up from a battle with one of the ryokas. " Now that news interested me so I slung my legs from the branch and jumped down.

" Really...Then come on, bet you were on your way there. " I said, she nodded and then rushed off with me following her. Once we reached the small building, I spotted the red head lying on a stretcher with many bandages on his chest. Izuru Kira, fukutaicho of the 3rd division was there and came to greet us. Hinamori was to say, in shock that Renji was passed out and was badly wounded in front of her.

" I found him like this when I arrived with a couple of squads but if only I had arrived sooner, I could've joined and fought too..." He said a bit saddened. Hinamori shook her head still a bit shocked.

" N-No Kira-kun, its not your fault. " I glanced over a bit, she was already tearing up at the sight of Renji being injured. Maybe she was close friends with him too. Kira then turned to me after speaking with Hinamori.

" Oh you must be the first ryoka that came here...Um...Tanaka Reimei was it? " I nodded, mustering up a small friendly smile to go with it.

" Hai, Izuru fukutaicho-san. "

" Oh that's too formal..." He said, a small blush creeping on his face. I could tell he wasn't the type of person to be addressed so highly of, " Just Kira..." I nodded, chuckling a bit at his flustered face.

" Hai, Kira-san. "

" Have you contacted the 4th squad relief unit yet? " asked Hinamori.

" Hai, they should be back with more medics..." A spark of another presence was what I felt before someone had shown up behind us.

" There's no need for that..." Kuchiki-taicho had decided to show up, towering over all of us in a very intimidating way, " Take him to a holding cell.."

" But- " Hinamori was utterly shocked as was Kira, " Abarai-kun fought the ryoka by himself and is badly injured! He-! "

" I don't want to hear any excuses. Him fighting alone means defeat and that is unacceptable. I do not need a fool who can't comprehend that. Take him away immediately. " With that said, Byakuya turned on his heel and started to walk off. I kept silent at the emotionless speech he just gave us, knowing too well that his actions are not to be questioned. But apparently, Hinamori had thought otherwise. Her hands slowly curled into a fist and she made a step towards Byakuya's retreating back.

" Please wait just a minute! Are you saying that Abarai-kun-! " She was cut off by Kira silencing her, Byakuya turned around to glare down at the two. Kira, sensing the intense glare, bowed deeply.

" My deepest apologies.. " Hinamori glanced at her friend and soon afterwards, bowed down deeply as well while muttering her apologies. As if satisfied, Byakuya turned to leave once more. Standing up straight, Kira almost let out a sigh relief before turning to Hinamori.

" Hinamori-kun, I think it's best if we followed orders... "

" But-! "

" Hinamori-san, you are of lower class to Byakuya-taicho. Disobeying a captain's order is disobeying your superiors. " I pointed out sternly, even though I was rather acquainted with Byakuya, I still knew that once he gave an order as a taicho, there's no questioning it. Especially coming from someone as noble as him. His word was law. Hinamori slightly glared at me, still stubborn as to why she had to take her friend to a holding cell. I brushed it off, knowing too well that the girl already had a naive mind to begin with.

" Oooh, scary. " Turning towards a corner, standing there was none other than Ichimaru Gin. A wide grin was still plastered on his face, makes me think if its permanent.

" Still, what'd he have to talk like that fer? " He made his way to us, glancing at me he added, "And Reimei-chan, you're already knowing yer place even if yer not part of a division yet. You're a natural to take orders ne? "

" ...I don't take orders, I know what's right to do and not to go against..." I seethed, he only grinned at me more which annoyed me. He walked up casually and stood in front of us, hands hidden in his sleeves.

" But Reimei-chan does have a point...6th captain-san is pretty scary. But don't ya'll worry, I'll make sure the 4th squad unit reach here. "

" Really? " Asked Hinamori, surprised that Ichimaru was doing such a generous thing. I on the other hand, find the offer a little too good to be true. He's up to something, not only do I feel it, I know it.

" Really. " He replied almost too sincerely. Now I know that this was all an act, as if to get Hinamori's trust or something. I took a glance at the naive fukutaicho, she better watch her back.

" Come wit' me, Izuru... "

" Hai. " Answered Kira as the two walked off.

" Thank you for your help..." bowed Hinamori. A moment of silence was shared between us, I crossed my arms casually and let out a breath.

" Hinamori-san, you shouldn't be that naive..."

" What do you mean..? Tanaka-san? " She looked at me curiously, completely oblivious to the atmosphere I was talking about when Ichimaru showed up. It was to say, completely suspicious.

" What I meant was-.." I was cut short when I felt what was probably the third presence to show up that night.

" Wow, freakin' Abarai sure got himself messed up good..." I turned towards the snowball that decided to show up all of a sudden, a bored look on my face while Hinamori jumped a feet high.

" Hitsugaya-kun! " she eeped out as she turned to her childhood friend.

" Hey, hey. I'm a captain too ya know. You sure you wanna address me like that? " He asked questioningly with his arms crossed.

" That's not the point! Why do you captains go sneaking around without making a sound?! And what are you doing here, Hitsugaya-kun?! " Hinamori complained, throwing her arms up in the air to emphasize her point. I huffed out a breath of air, blowing my front bangs in the process. After a while, I secretly shunpoe'd away. Jumping from roof to roof, I landed a fair distance away from the small building. I decided to take a stroll for a while, hoping to get my thoughts sorted out.

" _Face it, you're jealous. "_ Always leave Tsukuyomi to get straight to the point.

" _So what..."_

_" __Wow, you admitted it? Just like that?" _

" _So, I can't deny it...And I'll ONLY admit it to myself.."_

_**" There's no law that says a person can't be jealous. " **_Came Tsumetai Kaze voice, hoping to make me feel better but apparently it didn't really help.

" _I know..It's just that...It's not me. I feel horrible for being jealous, especially over Hinamori because she's much more closer to Hitsugaya. I mean what does it matter? We're friends too right? "_

_" Aha, there's a difference between being a childhood friend to a friend you've met recently. And it's obvious Matsumoto is right, you're crushing on him. With all this tied up, what does it equal? "_

" _I sorta know where this is going Tsukuyomi..." _It's true, I did know where this was going. With my slowly developing feelings for Hitsugaya, the chances of him liking me back is slim, waaay slim. I've only known the guy for a few weeks, it's nothing compared to how long Hinamori had known him. Just the thought of it made my blood boil, Tsukuyomi's personality was starting to rub off on me. Like how the first time I had came across him. Always calling me a pathetic little shinigami who wouldn't wield him in a million years. Well, guess I begged a differ. I hate to admit it though, that's exactly how I feel right now towards Hinamori.

" You know it's not safe to walk around late at night, especially if there are ryoka's in Seireitei now." A voice said pleasantly. I immediately got into a fighting stance, searching around the dark corners for the voice. A figure emerged from the shadows, it turned out to be the 5th division captain, Aizen Sosuke. My fingers lingered on Tsumetai Kaze's hilt, Aizen slowly made his way towards me but stopped a few feet away. A carefree smile plastered on his face.

" Tanaka Reimei, is it? " I slightly glared at him, his smile reminded too much of Ichimaru's; they make it seem like they were up to no good.

" Aizen-Taicho, I'm quite confident in my swordsmanship to be out walking at night. " I replied cooly, slowly taking my hand away from the hilt. Aizen chuckled a bit.

" I'm sure you are but after all, a female walking around late at night is never a good thing. Who knows what might be out there. " He took a step and took a hold of my chin, " Especially a fairly attractive female. " I slapped his hand away, that'll probably leave a red mark there the next morning.

" With all do respect, Aizen-Taicho, I can handle myself fine. " I brushed passed him without a bow of respect, " Good night, Taicho..." After that I shunpoe'd off to the 10th division building. Not only did Ichimaru freaked me out but also Aizen, I just know those two are up to something. Their grins just made me shiver, I'll just have to watch my back from now on. I finally made it to Matsumoto's room, she was once again, passed out on her bed, snoring. I shook my head, a small smile on my face. Making my way around her, I headed to the wardrobe and pulled out a white sleeping robe. Quickly changing in the bathroom, I came out and layed down on an extra futon and fell asleep almost instantly.

**Ooooo Someone's jealous X) I wonder where this will take her. Plz R&R and i'll try to get bak to this as soon as i can! Thankss!!**


	10. To Strike a Deal

**Vietvn: Chapter tenn!! Finally here! my goshh..tried to upload it yesterday but stupid fanfiction thingy wont upload my file so yeaa..had to wait til the next day. Again, srry for the slow update, if u wanna write a complaint, send it to my school**

**Chapter Ten: To Strike A Deal**

Another day started once more, I got up only to find Matsumoto still snoring and sprawled all over the place. Quietly making my way to the bathroom, I started the shower and quickly washed my hair since it's been getting a bit oily. After that was done, I dried myself and my hair and changed into my normal attire.

Stepping out of the bathroom while still tying the white scarf around my neck loosely, Matsumoto was finally beginning to wake up. She sleepily sat up from her futon and rubbed her eyes before spotting me.

" Ohayo, Reimei-chan.. " She greeted, stifling a yawn in the process.

" Ohayo, Matsumoto-san. " I said pleasantly back, " I'm finished with the bathroom so you can use it. " Matsumoto nodded, still half asleep and stumbled her way towards the bathroom. Strapping Tsukuyomi and Tsumetai Kaze to my back, I made my way out of the division building.

" What to do..What to do..." I said to myself, strolling around Seireitei. While walking around doing nothing, I reminded myself that there were still ryoka's here. I sighed, well they're probably lurking around without me knowing it. Not like I cared anyways, I'm still not a seated officer or even part of a division yet. I'll just help whenever I wanted to.

My thoughts were interrupted when I bumped into something. Caught off balance, I fought to keep my balance but that also required me to flail my arms around like an idiot. Finally placing both two feet firmly on the ground, I looked back up at what I bumped into. Turns out, it was the little snowman himself who was currently dusting his robes. But he too looked up and once he caught sight of me, he wore a scowl on his face.

" Watch where you're going next time. "

" Oh I'm sorry, didn't see you there considering how short you are... " I retorted back.

" HEY! At least I'm taller than you! "

" Ha! What a joke! By an INCH! "

" It still proves I'm taller than you! " He was fussing again just because I called him short, I only meant it jokingly but he has to get all hissy with me. But then again, it's fun to see how he gets pissed off so easily. A moment of silence swept between us, I just made it seem like he won one of our pointless arguments for once but then I decided to tease him a bit more.

" Oh? Chibi-chan? Where'd you go? " I asked, standing on the tip of my toes to look over him in a searching way. And as I expected it, an vein grew on his head and snapped.

" I'M RIGHT HERE YOU DUMBASS!! I'M NOT THAT SHORT!! " I bursted out laughing but that only seemed to anger him more so he decided to walk pass me, arms crossed in a pouting way. I calmed myself and watched his back for a while, breathing out I took off in a light jog to catch up to him. He side glanced at me for a moment but then turned his gaze forward again. I sighed and rolled my eyes, this guy was just too serious.

" ...Hitsu-san, I was only playing with you. Don't have to take it personally. " I said after a long period of total silent. He just side glanced at me again and then turned back to staring straight ahead with his arms crossed. I blew my bangs, this guy was difficult, complicated and acting like a kid who didn't get his lollipop.

" Hitsu-saaann...Don't be like that. " Another moment of silent, Hitsugaya finally let out a sigh and spoke.

" Can't help it. " I giggled a bit and saw a small smile creep on Hitsugaya's face, I was so caught up in the mood that after I was done giggling I accidentally let something slip.

" But being short often makes a person's image sound cute. " My mind worked double time in hopes of covering up, Hitsugaya's face was clearly shaded in pink and he had to turn away to hide it which I find adorable..Oh shit, no time to be thinking that kinda thought! Gotta make it seem natural, make it seem like a joking way. So after making a last minute decision I decided to go along with it.

" What? It's true though! " I said, grinning as best as I can without blushing. Hitsugaya was still blushing and seems to be thinking of a response.

" K-K-Kawaii??? First I'm chibi, now I'm kawaii?!? " Hitsugaya stuttered still blushing a shade of pink. He tried to seem annoyed but obviously that was failing.

" Hai! " I laughed, " I gotta come up with another nickname for you then! "

Hitsugaya heaved a sigh of frustration and then continued on walking, the view of the tenth division building started to grow as we kept on walking.

" Hitsu-san, where were you this morning anyways? " I asked.

" At a captain's meeting, we're required to carry our zanpakuto at all times and war time measures are allowed to take place. "

" So..We're allowed to release bankai? " I asked, surprised that the Central 46 Chamber court would allow such drastic measures just because a bunch of ryoka's invaded Seireitei. But then again, one of them did injure Renji who was a lieutenant; second best to a captain.

" Oh by the way, what's gonna happen to Renji? "

" Abarai was let off the hook, as soon as he heals he's allowed to rejoin his squad and the 6th division's captain order are overlooked. " explained Hitsugaya as we made our way around the tenth division building, probably heading to his office without me knowing.

" That's good I guess. It is unfair to send an injured person to a holding cell. " He nodded in agreement and like I had supposedly thought, we stopped right outside his office door.

" I have paperwork to do, you can roam around if you want as long as you don't get into trouble. " Hitsugaya said before opening his office door and stepping in.

" Oh fine...Leave me so I can die from boredom.. " I muttered.

" I will. " was Hitsugaya's last reply and with a smirk on his face, he shut the sliding door. I blew my bangs once again, with nothing to do, I shunpoe'd off to find whatever there is I can do in Seireitei. As I raced through Seireitei, I let my mind wonder. It was then I realized that Hitsugaya and I actually had a pleasant conversation without getting into a pointless argument, which was...a nice change for once.

-

I found myself back at the training field I had first went to. I couldn't help but think that maybe it was a sign that told me I needed to sharpen my skills a bit more so with nothing else to do, I decided to unsheath Tsumetai Kaze and practiced with her. Striking here and there, the winds slowly picked up in speed the more and more complicated the swings got. Every once in a while, a tree or bark would be shattered by the wind pressure on my command but other then that, practice was peaceful.

Well, that was until someone's sword clashed with mine. I looked up surprised at the sword only to find the owner of it was the 5fh division taicho.

" What do you want Aizen..." I glared at the man in front of me and pushed away his sword. He merely smiled.

" Just curious to see who's practicing out here..."

" Well now that you know, please move along before I hurt you accidentally while practicing..." I snapped and walked over to a clearer spot away from him but I didn't get really far because Aizen decided to strike at me again so I was forced to block with my own sword.

" Just how good are you Tanaka-san? " His eyes danced with anticipation. If he wanted a fight, then he'll get one. Once again I pushed away his blade and jumped a fair distance away from him.

" If that's what you insist, then I'll take you up on it. But just to be fair, I don't intend on going easy because you're a captain. " Again, he merely smiled and nodded.

" Then I won't hold back either..Tanaka-san. " At that word, he flash stepped in front of me and slashed down on me. I blocked him on time and our swords were in a dead lock. If this guy keeps to his word about not holding back then I might as well release my shikai for Tsumetai Kaze. With one strong thrust from my wrist, I repelled his sword off of mine and jumped back while calling out Tsumetai's command.

" Blow them away, Tsumetai Kaze! " The sword transformed into the same blue and silver blade I had used the first time I came back to Seireitei.

" Kamaitachi! " The slicing winds rushed towards Aizen but as expected, he flash stepped away to avoid getting hit. He appeared afterwards beside me and tried attacking me but I flash stepped away. Sending another series of cutting winds, I put Aizen into a flash stepping frenzy. Even though he had the speed to avoid my wind currents, he couldn't outlast them for long. That was what I needed, I needed some time to work this out.

" You know, sending mere breezes of wind only refreshes me. " Came his voice in a mocking way. I jerked my head back just in time to see him bring down his sword.

" Sorry but that trick won't work on me. " I said back and pushed him away again, "Daikamaitachi! (Great Cutting Whirlwind)**(A/n: Don't own)** " A larger more powerful cutting wind pressure erupted as soon as I gave my zanpakuto a good swing. Aizen, not expecting it to be that strong, was pushed back and in the process, had his robes sliced here and there.

" Hn, impressive pressure. That zanpakuto of yours is quite useful, isn't it? " Smirked Aizen as he ripped off a small portion of his sleeve that has been shredded by the wind.

" Of course it is, " I said, holding up Tsumetai Kaze, " And if you don't watch it then you'll be more surprised then you should be. " I sent out yet another gust of cutting winds. Aizen easily flash stepped away from it and once again we were in a dead lock with our swords.

" But mere wind currents isn't gonna cause massive damage to your opponent so I guess it's all show but not as effective. " I glared at him but then slowly smirked, just like his naive lieutenant, he too had such a naive mind.

" Iie, what's special about Tsumetai Kaze is the fact that the blade itself has components to a snowstorm; wind is just one of them. " At this, Aizen's confident smile slowly melted away as I smirked wider.

" For a Taicho, you're louzy at figuring out your opponent! Hyoten: Tsubame Fubuki!(Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm)**(A/N: Don't own)** " The temperature dramatically dropped and with a graceful wave, the feathers imprinted in Tsumetai Kaze shined a brilliant white. A quick spin of the blade and the light erupted into a cloud of swallows made of ice and snow. They swiftly raced towards Aizen who had a bit of trouble destroying every one of them. Some of them though, managed to swiftly get pass his blade and actually scratch him. After all, each of the swallow's wings were lined with sharp ice shards.

After that was done, Aizen was a bit more scratched up then before. He took a moment to wipe away the blood that was seeping through the cut on his cheek.

" If you do not wish to continue then by all means say so, _Taicho_. " I smirked, emphasizing taicho. Aizen merely smirked and a glint caught in his glasses.

" It seems that I've really underestimated you, Tanaka-san. Your abilities may come in use considering how similar they are to Hitsugaya-taicho..." The way he said it creeped me out, now I know for sure that this guy is planning something but I'm still not sure what. I glared at him and gripped Tsumetai Kaze.

" _**That man...He's not even using half of his strength yet. Be careful..."**_

" _I know and I haven't used my full power yet either and I still have Tsukuyomi, just in case this gets too serious and he has the intent to kill me.."_

_" __Well I hope that's soon cuz I'm itching for a fight. I want in on some of the action too you know! "_

" _Shut up, this guy's got something more up his sleeves. Better corner him now and leave it at that. " _ Settling on the plan, I quickly ran at him while he was still daydreaming on who knows what.

" You shouldn't let your mind wonder away from your enemy! Daikamaitachi! " As expected he shunpoe'd away, I kept him on the run but after a while decided its time to put my plans into action. With a quick wave of Tsumetai Kaze, I drew up dust on the ground that covered most of the area in the clearing. Afterwards, I continued to send out cutting whirlwinds at him. He won't be able to get close to me as long as I keep summoning wind currents to keep him at bay. I stopped, a bit warn out since the wind I control were mixed with my reiatsu so gradually it wore me out.

" Is that it? " Aizen's voice cut through from behind me, I quickly moved out of the way but got nicked on the shoulder. The wound wasn't that deep but blood was gushing out of it the moment his blade made contact with my skin. I jumped away and gripped the wound, it stung badly but I stood up straight, ignoring it and stared Aizen straight in the eye.

" Really Tanaka-san, I was expecting a bit more this.."

" Oh yea? Then eat this! Futon: Tatsu no Oshigoto!(Severing Wind Pressure)**(A/N: Don't own either)** " Spinning my zanpakuto over my head, dark clouds rolled in and within a second, a tornado came thundering down and crashed directly above Aizen. He managed to avoid it by using shunpo. But little did he know, he landed right into my traps. The moment his foot stepped back onto the ground, he immediately lost his footing. Shocked, he tried to regain his balance but it was too late.

" Fusajin (Dust Wind) " I smirked and then swiped Tsumetai Kaze one more time, " Hyoro!(Ice Prison) " Many ice pillars shot out of the ground and trapped Aizen in place. Smirking, I waltzed up to the ice prison and saw Aizen had his feet frozen to the ground.

" So Aizen-Taicho, how does it feel like to be defeated by someone like me; a no seated officer. " Suddenly, a painful feeling seared through my body. Blood splattered onto the ground, dying the forest green grass to a crimson red. I collapsed on my knees and clutched the newly opened wound. My right shoulder was bleeding profusely. Wincing, I looked up to see that the Aizen in the ice prison vanished before my eyes and standing behind me was Aizen himself, untouched. His zanpakuto was still drenched with my blood.

" As you can see Tanaka-san, you did not successfully defeat me though it was a close call, I must say. " He smirked down at me as I continued panting, feeling already drowsy from the blood lost.

" Since you had released your shikai, I decided to only play fair and use mine. " He showed me the now blood covered katana, the hilt was a dark green while the rest looked like any other katana, " Kudakero, Kyōka Suigetsu.(Shatter, Mirror Flower Water Moon) " I was plunged into darkness, the scenery of the forest disappeared.

' _An illusion? All along...he was only using a puppet that looked like himself for me to play with. So I guess this is his zanpakuto specialty; illusion and hypnosis. ' _

" Tanaka-san, your skills are very developed for someone your age. " Aizen's voice echoed around in the pure darkness. I could only listen to what he has to say because I was still badly injured from the wound he inflicted.

" Aizen...What is it that you're planning to do...? " I tested, I figured this is the only chance I'll get to see if he's actually up to something with Ichimaru.

" ...Whatever do you mean? "

" Don't give me that bullshit Aizen, you and Ichimaru have been tailing me for some time ever since I came back to Seireitei. So, what's it to you two? Plotting behind Seireitei that involves me in it too? " Silence, guess that means I hit the dot. They ARE planning something that has to do with Seireitei, probably destroying it. But why would they want to recruit someone like me? A slight chuckle echoed through out the dark atmosphere. No doubt it was Aizen.

" You're quite clever, I guess I can't hide it from you anymore. You see originally I would have used you like a pawn in my plan. But seeing as how you figured it out, then how would you like to take play in it? " I don't know whether this was a good idea or not; first of all, it would be good because I can get information on his plans and send them Seireitei before they actually happen but that would mean playing the roll of a traitor and hurting my friends. I mean the first thing someone would do is refuse immediately and report to the Sou-taicho to be aware of Aizen but there was no proof. Even if I did that, Seireitei wouldn't be prepared for what Aizen might do. His intentions are still unknown to me.

" I see your hesitating, Tanaka-san. Then allow me to enlighten you; I know for one that a slight distaste for my lieutenant has grown on you. Am I not correct? " Now that statement was to say, half true. Half true because deep down I did have a slight hate towards Hinamori. How simple minded she is and yet she's a lieutenant already. The other half, was that I didn't want to show my hate because it wasn't like me to hate someone without a good reason. I thought about it, really I'm the one who's acting childish. This hate for her was actually because she was much closer to someone who I've grown to adore. My hands curled into a fist, I didn't know what to do. Betray the Gotei 13 to find information on what Aizen plans on doing to Seireitei or refuse and report this to the Sou-taicho but have no clue what Aizen will attempt?

Gin Ichimaru was already suspected by both Hitsugaya and I but Aizen on the other hand, they would have never suspected him to be the criminal mastermind and with me joining in, neither would I.

" _**I find both sides reasonable, it's what you really want to go for Reimei. "**_

" _If you really want to find out what's gonna happen, then I'd say, play spy and see what he's planning on doing. That way Seireitei will have a better chance at preparing themselves for the worst. "_

_**" Wow, you being smart for the first time. "**_

_" Oh shut up. "_

_**" But really, no matter what you choose to do, we'll be sure to try our best to get you outta of a bad outcome. "**_

Tsukuyomi was right, with me knowing exactly what Aizen plans to do, Seireitei will be more prepared. Meaning less people will get hurt from an unexpected. All I have to do is make sure Aizen doesn't find out about MY intentions in the end of all of this.

" _I'm sorry everyone but this is for your own good. " _With that last thought, I prayed that they didn't take my betrayal too hard. Taking a deep breath, I finally forced myself to say the words that maybe I'll regret soon.

" How will my skills be of your help...Aizen-sama..." I felt his grin widened.

" A wise choice...We'll meet again at this very secluded spot for further details. But for now, you are strictly under my command but you will speak no word of this to anyone. "

" ...Hai.. "

" Good, if I were you though, I would get that wound treated. " As soon as he said that the whole scenery returned and I found myself on the grassy terrain, half conscious. As my vision blurred, the last thing I saw was a small black animal coming towards me.

**Dun Dun Dunnn!!! Reimei is choosing to betray everyone in Seireitei:O wht will happen?? R&R then i'll tell u :D**


	11. Sensei Murder in the Morning

**Vietvn: OKAYYSS wow chappie eleven yay! okay this sorta follows the story line of the anime BUT i added my stuff to it too so yea not to bore u to death**

**Something to remember:**

**I do not own bleach or its characters, just my own**

**This means:**

_' Character's thoughts'_

_**" Tsumetai Kaze's Dialog"**_

_" Tsukuyomi's Dialog"_

" Normal talking "

**Chapter Eleven: Sensei; Murder in the Morning**

My eyelids felt heavy, even though my mind was working, I couldn't force myself to open my eyes. So basically, to those on the outside, it would appear that I'm still unconscious. My concentration on opening my eyes finally paid off as I managed a peek but then gradually had them open to view my surroundings. It was dark to say and not to mention it looked like some sorta abandon warehouse.

" Ahh, I see you're awake now Rei-chan. " came an old, croaky voice. I looked around to find the source but I couldn't see anyone. The only thing I did spot was a couple of old boxes and a black cat sitting in front of me. Must be a stray, I continued searching until I heard the voice again.

" Oi, over here.." I looked back only to find the cat again. I slowly sat up, noticing that my wounds were neatly wrapped in bandages and my zanpakuto were resting off to the side. I scrunched up my face, not really sure if my senses were right. I stared at the cat and it in turn, stared back at me.

" Uhhh? "

" Yes, you're looking at the right cat..." The black cat said. I was staring at it weirdly, either I banged my head way too much or it's an actual talking cat. It chuckled at my perplexed look and spoke again.

" Ne, I'm surprised you don't recognize me Rei-chan. After all these years of personally training you too..." I blinked at what the cat said, of course I don't recall training with a cat for many years but though it did relate to one thought in my mind.

" Could it be...Yoruichi-sama?! " I asked in disbelief. The small black cat chuckled and nodded its small head.

" Good to know you actually remembered. It's been a while hasn't it? "

" Yoruichi-sama, umm...gomen ne. I did not realize you possessed the skill of turning into a cat. And the voice made you appear like you're an old man. " Yoruichi snickered.

" It's understandable, my other subordinates still haven't figured out that I am a women. "

" Subordinates? " I asked, " Masaka(could it be**A/N: Dont rele know how to spell it)** That you've entered Seireitei with other ryokas...? "

" Sharp as ever still. " Yoruichi praised but then nodded her head, " Yes, Kuchiki Rukia has befriended a person by the name of Kurosaki Ichigo; the very person who took her powers in the first place. He gathered up some of his friends who had a fairly large amount of spiritual energy to help save her from her execution. "

" Ohh..." I managed to utter, " Seireitei has tightened up its security measures. All shinigamis are permitted to carry a zanpakuto and are also allowed to release their shikai and if any case, also their bankai. " Yoruichi nodded her head thoughtfully.

" That could mean trouble for Ichigo since you might've heard, he was the one who took out Abarai Renji; fukutaicho of the sixth division. " I went into deep thought, so all along they wanted to save Rukia.

" Ne, another thing Rei-chan. What were you doing in that forest all cut up and badly injured? " At that statement, I remembered the deal I had made with Aizen. He told me to not speak a word of it but I couldn't do this to my own sensei. I decided to hint her and yet lie to her at the same time.

" Oh, I was just training and I guess I got too carried away. " I slowly got up, gently as to not re-open my wound. Grabbing my two zanpakuto, I turned to leave, " I really must be going Yoruichi-sensei, I really enjoyed seeing you again and well. But Yoruichi-sensei, I must warn you, " I turned to face the small black cat, " I feel that Seireitei will never be the same after this. So please, watch your back. " Not really getting what I meant, Yoruichi decided to take the warning just in case it might come in handy next time. With a small nod, I shunpoe'd away and began to run back to the forest area. As I ran, I began to wonder how long I was unconscious for because the sun was still yet to rise.

When I reached back to the spot, I stopped and stood quietly, seeing if there was any movements.

'_Aizen said that he'll clear things up with me once I head back to this spot, so where the hell is he? ' _

" Ahhh, I see you've shown up Reimei-han? " I didn't need to turn around to know who that was. The accent was just a dead giveaway, " Joining us 'cuz of a lil rivalry between 5th division fukutaicho for Jyuubantai Taicho-han. I never knew you would roll that way to get whatcha want..."

" What matters is what's going on...Where's Aizen? " I slightly turned my head to give Ichimaru a glare but he only shrugged it off by giving a fox like grin.

" He ain't 'ere now. That's why I'm here to fill ya in. "

" Then start talking. " I snapped, clearly getting annoyed by his grin already. He chuckled a bit and crossed his arms into his sleeves.

" Well, Rukia's execution will be moved up ahead a lil bit. Aizen-taicho plans on removing the Hōgyoku from her gigai by using the immense heat from Sōkyoku. "

" The Hogyoku; The orb of Distortion. I've heard about it... " I knew I heard about it somewhere, it was one of Kisuke Urahara's invention except considering how much power it holds, it was decided to be hidden away. And I guess Urahara suspected that no one would find it in the very core of a soul which happens to be Kuchiki Rukia's.

" Yup, it can dissolve the boundary between shinigami and hollows. Allowing a hollow to use a shinigami power and vice-versa. " Grinned Ichimaru.

" I see, would that not mean getting rid of the Central 46 Chambers in order to actually move the date of the execution closer...? " I asked, trying to think like a criminal mastermind. Knowing Aizen, if he thinks ahead like I would if I was a bad guy, which right now I am, then he would've gotten rid of them from the very start of his plans. And with the uproar of the ryoka's, Central 46 Chambers was sealed. No one could get in or out which means that would be the perfect opportunity to actually murder them. Ichimaru's grin widened, as if he was watching me figure this out.

" Ya know, Reimei-chan, Aizen-taicho and you think alike. "

'_So its already taken care of...Just as I thought. ' _

" Anyways, Aizen-Taicho will be meetin' ya here again tonight so ya better show up. But other than that, I'll be off. " With one last grin, he shunpoe'd off, leaving me to ponder on the important information I had just attained.

'_Still, just knowing that the 46 chambers is probably all dead for who knows how long, I can't play snitch just yet. I gotta go with the flow and play along as Aizen's lackeys. Once I find out his future plans on Seireitei, I'll be sure to move onto my next goal; getting out of this whole mess and double cross Aizen. ' _

-

**Normal POV**

Back at the tenth division, Hitsugaya was busily working on the paperwork that Matsumoto hadn't finished. He sighed tiredly again, why was it that he was stuck with a lazyass lieutenant?! And to make matters worst, someone was missing this morning and yesterday night. This also result to him being in a surprisingly bad mood.

" OHAYO TAICHO!! " Matsumoto bursted in through the officer door cheerily. Hitsugaya's eye twitched, trying to restrain himself from punching a wall or strangling Matsumoto to death.

" What do you want Matsumoto..." seethed the white haired captain, slamming down the pen he was holding onto his desk. Matsumoto jumped back, startled a bit by the abrupt action. Never before had she seen her captain in a pissed off mood, well, only when she came home drunk and left a load of paperwork for him to do. But now that she thought about it, he was like this last night too and she wasn't even out drinking surprisingly.

" Umm..Just aheh...Stopping by to say good morning..."

" Well good morning to you too..." Hitsugaya said sarcastically while taking a sip from his cup of green tea. Matsumoto pouted a bit at his more than usual cold attitude.

" Gotten off on the wrong side of the bed Taicho? You're grumpier than usual. " Matsumoto dare say this to Hitsugaya, especially in the mood he's in. He again slammed his cup down on the table and rose up from his seat behind his desk.

" Lay off Matsumoto..." But Matsumoto, being the dense fukutaicho she was, followed her captain as he walked out the office door.

" Nyahhh...You've been acting like this since last night. Did you get into a fight with Reimei-chan again or something and it got too serious? " She asked innocently. Hitsugaya stopped abruptly at the mention of Reimei's name causing Matsumoto to almost run into the smaller captain.

" I haven't seen her since last night now that I think of it...Not to mention I haven't seen her back at the division yet this morning..." Was the thoughtful mutter that came from Hitsugaya. Matsumoto managed to catch that thoughtful sentence and a cheesy grin grew on her face.

" Oohhhh I see, you're just grumpy cuz you're worried about Reimei-chan! " Hitsugaya blushed a nice shade of red at Matsumoto's theory to his moody state.

" M-Matsumoto! It's not like that!! " He retorted, still flustered as ever.

" You're stuttering! Wow! Then you must really like her then! " squealed Matsumoto.

" Shut up! " That only made Matsumoto burst into fits of laughter, so much she had tears streaming out of her eyes and she was clutching her sides so hard. Hitsugaya huffed and just left his lieutenant by flash stepping away to clear his mind. As if on cue, Reimei had so conveniently walked in.

" Matsumoto? Why are you laughing? " Asked a confused Reimei. Matsumoto finally calmed herself down and was surprised to see the violet-raven haired girl standing by her.

" Reimei-chan you just missed him! " she exclaimed.

" Uhhh who? "

" Hitsugaya-Taicho! He was in such a cranky mood because he was worried about you! " At the thought, Reimei blushed faintly.

" U-Umm..."

" By the way, where were you? I don't recall seeing you coming back last night and you weren't in this morning either..." Matsumoto said, placing a finger under her chin to recall the details.

" I was just out and apparently got lost, so I had to spend the night at another division. " Replied Reimei slowly, she didn't want to tell Matsumoto what she was up to, especially her intentions too.

" Oh I see, well let's get breakfast then! I still haven't eaten yet surprisingly cuz taicho caught me sleeping in this morning..." sighed Matsumoto. Reimei chuckled a bit, she was rather getting hungry running around Seireitei. She nodded in agreement and Matsumoto proceeded to drag her to the nearest restaurant. Matsumoto had ordered dango and tea for the both them and they sat eating in silence. Well, that is until Matsumoto started to gossip about Hitsugaya.

" You should've seen him this morning, he was so grumpy and kept getting angry at the smallest thing. He really likes you Reimei-chan. You're one lucky girl. " Matsumoto winked at Reimei, causing her to look away and blush.

" I-I'm sure he was just being a good friend..." Muttered Reimei quietly.

" Well if you think of it that way but he never gets THAT angry when someone disappears for a while. " Matsumoto countered, " It wasn't even 2 hours after you left him to do his paperwork that he started to act grumpier than usual. He likes youuu!!! "

" Matsumoto that's nonsense..."

" NOOOOOO!!!! " A sudden scream erupted from outside the shop and echoed throughout most of Seireitei. Reimei and Matsumoto jerked their heads in alertness and immediately paid of their dango and shunpoe'd to the source. They're search took them to the east wing tower near a bantai tower. It turns out that the ruckus had attracted lieutenant Izuru Kira of the 3rd division, lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi of the 9th division and lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba of the 7th division. The one who screamed was none other than lieutenant Momo Hinamori of the 5th division.

" Hinamori-kun! What's wro-.." Kira was cut short when he glanced up at what Hinamori's eyes were widened at. Kira's eyes also widened as did everyone's, " It can't be... " Pinned on one of the towers, was Aizen Sosuke, captain of the 5th division, a streak of his own blood trailed down below him and through his chest was his own zanpakuto. Hinamori stumbled towards his corps, her eyes fixed on his body and tears slowly starting to stream down her face.

" Aizen-taicho...No...No... " Finally overcoming her shock, she collapsed on her hands and knees and wailed out to her now dead captain. Everyone stared in pity at Hinamori's crying form, Reimei, however, had her eyes still fixed on Aizen's corpse. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she deduced the clues in her mind.

'_Aizen's zanpakuto...I've fought him before, this is only an illusion. If faking his death is part of his plan, then he must've done this to hide himself away from Seireitei to do something...But what? ' _

" What's all this ruckus so early in the mornin'? " Reimei turned around as did everyone to find Ichimaru-taicho grinning at all of this, " Uh oh, this here's a serious incident, eh? "

" Ichimaru-taicho, with all due respect, this matter isn't something to be grinning upon. " Reimei said cooly, Ichimaru only glanced at Reimei and continued to grin.

" Aizen-taicho's death isn't something I'm grinnin' at, its the fact that he actually-... "

" WAS IT YOU?! " Reimei's head snapped towards Hinamori who had gotten up and was now charging towards Ichimaru with her zanpakuto. Before anyone could stop her, Hinamori raised her zanpakuto at Ichimaru only to be stopped by Kira. Hinamori stood, her sword blocked by Kira's, shock was clearly written on her face.

" Kira-kun...Why...? "

" Because I am lieutenant of the 3rd squad, under no circumstance should I let anyone raise their sword at the captain. " Ichimaru chuckled at how loyal his lieutenant was and proceeded to walk away, leaving the matter to his lieutenant. Seeing her chance to avenge her captain slipping away, Hinamori fought to get pass Kira who still held his ground to block her way.

" I'm begging you, get out of the way! Kira-kun! "

" I can't allow that. "

" Move! Move out of the way! "

" Stop it! "

" DON'T YOU HEAR ME TELLING YOU TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY?! "

" AND DON'T YOU HEAR ME TELLING YOU TO STOP?! "

" BOTH OF YOU ENOUGH! " Reimei had had enough of this shout fest, especially coming from someone as stubborn as a mule. They both turned towards the raven-violet haired girl who glared at them coldly, she stepped between the two who still had their swords in a dead lock.

" Hinamori-san, you must calm down and think this clearly. "

" Reimei-chan...not you too..." whimpered Hinamori, " Why Reimei-chan?! WHY ARE YOU SIDING WITH HIM?! "

" I'M NOT SIDING WITH ANYONE! What's foolish of you is that you abandon your duties as a lieutenant to take command on this situation!! THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS TAKE DOWN THE BODY INSTEAD OF BLINDLY GOING AFTER SOMEONE WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE EVEN KILLED AIZEN IN THE FIRST PLACE!! " Reimei's voice slowly rose a level each time, showing her annoyance and anger at the two who had too much pride in their captains to even use common sense. Hinamori, along with everyone was shocked at the authority that Reimei had displayed but apparently with one glance at Kira and then to the slowly departing 3rd division taicho, Hinamori's anger took control once again.

" Who are you...WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO?! " With one last thrust to get Kira's blade away from her's, she called out to her zanpakuto, " Snap, Tobiume! " A large amount of reddish-pink spirit energy erupted from her blade and caused a massive explosion in the area. Reimei managed to jump out of the way in time to avoid being hit, as for Kira and Hinamori, they had both slid back a few feet. With all the commotion going on, Ichimaru was still calmly walking away while everyone was still trying to calm the two down.

" Releasing you zanpakuto in a place like this...How irresponsible. " seethed Kira as he glared at Hinamori. Her zanpakuto now had jitte-like prongs sticking out along the length of the blade. Reimei stood off to the side along with the other lieutenants, not wanting to be part of the fight. A stinging feeling reached Reimei followed by a warm liquid seeping down her cheek. Brining her hand to touch her cheek, she found that she had a slit on her cheek, probably from Hinamori's initial release.

'_That stubborn girl... '_

" Do you even realize what you're doing?! Don't confuse private matter with public ones, Hinamori-fukutaicho! " shouted Kira, hoping to reason with her before anything serious happened. Hinamori ignored Kira's shouts and proceeded to send yet another ball of concentrated spiritual power. The ball went directly towards Ichimaru but narrowly misses by curving upwards and hitting the tower above him instead.

" I see, in that case I have no choice. I'll treat you as an enemy. " Holding up his zanpakuto, Kira jumped upwards and called out to his zanpakuto, " Raise your head, Wabisuke! " His blade bended into a square hook and he prepared to slam it down on Hinamori. Hinamori in turn, drew back her zanpakuto, ready to strike but when Kira neared Hinamori, both blades were stopped. As the dust cleared, Hitsugaya was seen in between the two; blocking Wabisuke by unsheathing a small amount of his blade and pinning Tobiume down with his foot.

" Both of you don't move a muscle. "

" Hitsugaya-kun... "

" Arrest them both. " Commanded Hitsugaya as Matsumoto and Iba grabbed Hinamori while Hisagi took a hold of Kira.

" Hitsugaya-kun! "

" Hinamori! Do you really think this is a time to be fighting each other with swords?! Shouldn't your first priority be taking down Aizen's corpse down from there? " scolded Hitsugaya, Hinamori let out a small gasp, recalling the words Reimei had said before.

" I'll report this to Sou-taicho, put these two in detention. Take 'em away. " Both lieutenants were escorted as ordered. Hinamori took one glance back at Aizen's bloodied corpse but turned to look away. Once they were taken away, it was only Ichimaru, Hitsugaya and Reimei left.

" Sorry bout that, Jyuubantai taicho-san. For makin ya waste yer time on one o'mine. "

" Ichimaru...You..were about to kill Hinamori. " spoke Hitsugaya calmly.

" ...Well now, whatever are you talkin' 'bout? " Reimei turned and proceeded to walk away silently in light footsteps.

" I'll tell you this now, if you make Hinamori spill one drop of blood, I will kill you. "

" That's scary. We'll haveta watch her real close-like so no bad guys can git to her. "

" What happened?! Hitsugaya-taichou! Ichimaru-taicho! " More of the unseated officers rushed to see what the commotion was about only to find the sight that everyone had seen earlier, " That's! " " It can't be... "

" Take Aizen's body down... " ordered Hitsugaya before walking away.

" Hai! "

Having heard most of the conversation before walking off, Reimei had begun to wonder what Hinamori really means to Hitsugaya.

'_Get over yourself, you can't be jealous. Especially now that I've joined Ichimaru and Aizen's plan, with me being jealous, it'll just prove that I would stoop that low to get what I want. ' _

" Tanaka! " Reimei, snapping out of her thoughts, turned around to find HItsugaya coming towards her. She stopped and waited for him to catch up.

" Where were you this morning and last night... " He asked straight out.

" I got lost and had to spend the night at another division's place. Why missed me that much already? " smirked Reimei. Hitsugaya scoffed and crossed his arms into his sleeves.

" As if. " Reimei giggled.

" Its alright for you not to admit it. "

" Who said I was worried about you anyways?! "

" Oh so you WERE worried about me...Aww that's sweet of you. " Hitsugaya's face became flustered and he turned away just to hide it. This made Reimei giggle more.

" Ja..I'm off to find something to do now. So I'll see ya around..." Before Reimei could turn around to leave, a hand reached out and gently cupped her left cheek, which in turn made her turn around. Hitsugaya's hand gently caressed her left cheek which had been scratched.

" You should take care of that...Before it gets infected. " Spoke Hitsugaya lowly, almost making his voice sound a bit husky. Reimei became trapped in his aqua irises, just like before. His eyes glazed over a bit and they weren't aware that the distance between them was getting smaller. That is, until the warmth of his hand left her face, as he pulled back Reimei noticed that his fingers were skimmed with blood. She nodded stiffly and turned away once more but in her mind, she couldn't ward off the thought of wanting to feel his touch again.

Once she was a good distance away, she placed a hand on her cheek where Hitsugaya had touched and sighed looking towards the sky.

'_Hitsugaya...You're one hard person to predict...' _Reimei looked down, another thought crossing her mind, ' _But I can't let things like this stop me from finding out the truth behind Aizen's plans. I have to stick to my role, even though I might end up hurting the people I care about.'_

Closing her eyes, she clutched her fist and leaned against the many walls of Seireitei, thinking and praying that she wouldn't have to cross blades with someone she cared for, especially the one she adored.

**OH NO she's in denial, mental conflict; to do or not to do. Will Hitsugaya's hint of affection make Reimei change her mind about joining Aizen? R&R!**


	12. When We're Alone

**Vietvn: HAHA! Chapter twelve! This is sorta a filler i guess but don't wrry, usually there arent many fillers in my story its just this one time so hope u enjoy it**

**Chapter Twelve: When We're Alone**

" Aizen-taicho, the Hogyoku's true powers are still sealed away from another 4 months, using it immediately by having someone with a powerful reiatsu level wouldn't benefit the outcome..."

" Really? Hmm...Then that could lead to problems. "

" Hai, though there are some chances that creating an Arrancer would succeed. We just have to gamble on the outcomes. It wouldn't be a surprise if an imperfect Arrancer would be created in the process... "

" Then in that case, we'll just dispose of it in the real world..."

" Hai. "

Sealed away in the depths of the library which hold many documents concerning the history of Seireitei, was none other than Aizen-taicho himself and Reimei. The two had been searching for clues concerning the Hogyoku hidden inside Rukia's soul, anything useful would be bookmarked and will be used later.

" Tanaka-san, "

" Hai? "

" What is there in the section concerning the Oken?(Royal Key) " Reimei shocked about his request, thought about for a moment before nodding her head.

" Hai, I'll see what I can pull up. Demo, Aizen-taicho, the Oken's whereabouts are only known by the Commander-General. They wouldn't have a document on that would they? " Aizen chuckled a bit but waved the matter off.

" I don't want to know where the oken is, " He said but then paused and looked a bit serious, " The history of the oken is what I need. " Reimei only nodded her head and continued typing through the data base of the library. Pulling up related articles about the oken as Aizen requested.

" Anything? " Reimei pulled up a document that had a brief documentary about the oken and began to read it out loud to Aizen to see if if would catch his interest.

" The Oken is a key that leads to a passageway which leads to the royal family that resides within Seireitei. The key's whereabouts are only told verbally to one Gotei 13 general to the next, in this case Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai. Though the oken is rather secretive and almost non-existent like a myth, a creation of the key is possible. " At this Aizen, perked up a bit and came behind Reimei to actually read the words of the document himself. After a while, he chuckled to himself. Reimei glanced down at the words herself, reading them and finally comprehending what he plans on doing.

" Tanaka-san, I'm sure you've read what requires to duplicate the oken. Care to share where a large number of souls might be located? "

" Hai..." With a few more keys, Reimei had successfully pulled up the location, " Approximately the number of souls needed is located here in Japan, more specifically, Karakura Town. " Aizen nodded, quite pleased with the information gathering.

" You've done well Tanaka-san, I'm surprised the amount of knowledge you know about the Hogyoku. " Reimei closed the documents and turned around to face Aizen.

" I expect that when all else fails, you'll be my top successor to bring me back up on top again..."

" I will, Aizen-taicho. "

" Dismissed, be sure not to get caught. "

" Hai..." With that Reimei shunpoe'd herself out of the library and proceeded to head back to the 10th division building without getting caught.

'_So, that's what Aizen's real objective is. Overthrow the king of Soul Society by creating an army of advanced hollows with shinigami powers. It all made sense...And the oken..' _

Reimei furrowed her eyebrows together, the one line playing back in her mind of what can duplicate another royal key.

"** The Oken was created once and only once because the requiry of 100,000 human souls are needed. Such quantities are rarely found, therefore, it is certain the Oken cannot be duplicated. **"

'_100,000 human souls...With that kind of knowledge added to Aizen's plans, the possibility of his plans actually succeeding just boosted up a couple percent...'_

Reimei stopped sprinting, the sun was just about to set. She had wasted a whole afternoon, hiding away with Aizen in the depths of the library to do some researching. The morning events had caused a rukus and the news about Aizen's death spread faster than ever throughout Seireitei. With nothing else better to do, she decided to check up on Hitsugaya and Matsumoto to see if HItsugaya was bitching at her again for either getting drunk or just cuz Reimei had disappeared all afternoon once again. Finally arriving at the building, she stepped inside and headed towards the captain's office.

" Oi, Hitsu-san. Just came cuz-..." She was cut short when she saw the white haired captain slumped forward in his seat and had his head rested on the desk in front of him. But surprisingly enough, paperwork still scattered on top of the surface so why would Hitsugaya take this time to rest when he was a work-a-holic? Finding it a bit awkward to walk in on a snoozing captain, Reimei proceeded to turn around when all of a sudden his head jerked up.

" OIII!!! Maatttee..." Reimei jumped back, slightly surprised at the sudden movement of his suppose to be sleeping body. Also noticing the slurred words coming from the uptight captain, she was getting a little freaked out at this ' imposter.'

" Uhh...Hitsugaya? Ummm? Is something wrong? " She asked cautiously.

" I'm ffiiiinneee..." hiccuped Hitsugaya as he slowly stumbled to get up. Reimei backed away slowly, preparing to make a run for the door when suddenly the stumbling captain flash stepped and had her pinned on the ground with him on top.

" Ne...Reimei-chan...Why are you always outtt foorr...? I wanted to speenndd some time with youu... " Reimei could smell the sake from his breath but it wasn't like he had chugged a whole bottle of it.

" Umm...I just wanted to...Get some fresh air...And you know...Explore? " Reasoned Reimei, trying desperately to wriggle out of Hitsugaya grasp but he in turn had her hands pinned down with his own.

" But I misss youu... " He said, resting his forehead against Reimei's. His face was awfully close to Reimei's but she was in no mood to deal with a drunken captain.

" Hitsugaya-san, you really need to lie down. I never knew you drink..."

" I dooonnn'tt...What're ya talkin' boutt? " Reimei shifted under Hitsugaya and flipped him over so now she was on top and he was pinned down. She held his hands above his head to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless in his drunken state. Instead of doing anything, Hitsugaya just gave a goofy grin, not very like him at all.

" Ne...Reimei-chan...I didn't knoww you liked to be on top... " Reimei suppressed a blush that was threatening to crawl up her face. Hitsugaya took the opportunity to tackle Reimei when she was still flustered. Once again, he had Reimei pinned down and again and was awfully close to her face again.

" Reimei-chaann...You're really prettyy... "

" Hitsugaya you really need to lie down...And would you stop pinning me on the ground?! "

" But its funnn..."

" TAICHO?! " shouted a voice from the doorway. Both Reimei and Hitsugaya turned their heads towards the person who so happens to walk in on them. Reimei took this opportunity of distraction to nail a knock out punch on Hitsugaya who in turn, flew off her and landed sprawled on the ground. Matsumoto, who was standing near the doorway with an extremely scared look on her face, rushed over to Reimei only to be bonked on the head by her.

" MATSUMOTO!!! Don't tell me you're the one who's responsible for this!! " She shouted while pointing to the unconscious body of Hitsugaya. Matsumoto sweatdropped and started to stammer before actually getting her story out.

" Well...Umm..After Hitsugaya-taicho went to report the arrest of Hinamori and Kira-fukutaicho and the death of Aizen-taicho, I thought that maybe he needed to...'loosen up?' Eh heh..." Scratching the back of her head, Matsumoto continued to nervously laugh as Reimei stood in front of her, hands on hips knowing exactly what happened next.

" Matsumoto! You don't go around spiking other people's drinks! Especially an uptight captain who has the temper of a bull that sees red! And he sees red all the time! "

" What? He really does need to loosen up, and have some fun for a change. " pouted Matsumoto, " He's always so serious all the time and acts like he has a stick up his ass so why not let him enjoy his moment of acting like a kid for once. "

" I'm not sure if I should praise you for being 'thoughtful'...if it's even thoughtful in the first place...But seriously I don't find it 'fun' being constantly pinned down by a drunk captain like I was gonna get raped..."

" ...BUT you secretly enjoyed it..." winked Matsumoto.

" Matsumoto! Just leave the office while I'll take care of this-this...Mess..." Concluded Reimei, a stain of pink coloured her face while she shoved Matsumoto out of the door.

" Ok! Don't rape my taicho then! "

" MATSUMOTO!!! " Shouted Reimei as she prepared to go after the orange haired fukutaicho but chose not to because of the matter at hand; getting Hitsugaya to bed. THEN she'll go after Matsumoto and kill her. Making her way towards the unconscious captain, she knelt down beside him and gently nudged him to see if he was actually passed out. Seeing no movements from him, she gently took his upper torso and began to drag him to his room. It was pretty much difficult to maneuver herself with an unconscious captain without getting weird stares and/or panic looks from the other division members so every once in a while, she would give a lame excuse and assure them that their captain is just fine.

Finally reaching her destination, she slid open the door and dragged him towards the futon, not bothering to turn on the lights. Gently placing him on the mat, she placed a pillow under his head and blanketed him. Standing up, she let out a sigh and went to find some aspirin when he wakes up. No doubt about it that he'll have a major headache, either from her punch or from the hangover or probably both.

A few hours of searching around the office and finally coming to Hitsugaya's desk, Reimei began to open random drawers in search of aspirin. While searching, she accidentally stumbled upon something that caught her eye. In one of the many drawers behind Hitsugaya's desk, buried deep inside it was a small, crystal charm. Reaching towards it, she gently took the crystal from its depth in the drawer and placed it gingerly in her hands for further inspection.

The small crystal itself was shaped into a pointed rhombus shape and was held by a thin silver chain. Despite how long it's been in the drawer, it still shined brilliantly when it caught the light. Holding it up to the sunlight that seeped through the window in the office, the crystal shined a brillant rainbow colour that lit the room. Reimei found herself compelled to this charm as if it had hypnotized her into some trance. A slight shock went through Reimei's conscious and images that she'd never seen before flashed before her eyes. Two small children were happily playing by the small stream in a forest, then the scenery changed as the two children were no longer smiling but stood in front of each other and with one last glimpse of this quick film, the crystal charm itself was held in the hands of one of the small child but was being presented to the other. And that was it before Reimei blinked and the image was gone, she was back in the office with the charm still in her hands.

'_What was that? And who were those children, I've never met any child in my life, let alone two of them. '_

Shaking her thoughts, she pushed the vision to the back of her mind. Gently placing the charm back into the drawer, Reimei shut it with a soft thump and proceeded to look for the aspirin. Once stumbling upon it finally, she gladly took the small container and began to make her way back to Hitsugaya's room after making another quick stop to get a glass of water. Reimei slowly made her way back, passing by many division members who were still busily going about doing their business. When she reached the 10th division captain's room, she slid the door open gently, only to find that he was still sleeping soundly.

She shook her head, a ghost of a smile gracing upon her lips. The raven-violet haired girl made her way over to the young captain and gently knelt down beside him. Setting the glass of water and the bottle of aspirin to one side, she soon caught herself watching Hitsugaya sleeping. His features were soft and peaceful unlike how he usually looked like when he's awake. Reimei couldn't help but smile at the differences, if only he was as soft as he is when he's asleep but he's a captain afterall, a serious demeanor and an expressionless face probably were the components that made a captain look strong and fierce.

Reimei continued to silently watch the white haired captain sleep. Slowly, as if having no control over her body, her hand slowly reached up to his face and gently stroked the small portion of hair that always seemed to drape over his left eye. As soon as she brushed it aside and the back of her hand gently slide down his cheek, an arm instinctively reached out and grabbed onto Reimei's arm. Nearly letting out an alarmed scream, Reimei realized that the reflex of the 10th division captain acted up at that moment but he was still sound asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief that she wasn't caught showing a little bit of affection towards the young captain, she gently tried to pry away from his grasp. But after a couple of tugs, Hitsugaya slowly began to stir and slowly his shocking aqua green eyes opened.

Reimei, startled, began to think quickly as to why Hitsugaya had a hold of her arm. Finally coming up on a last minute excuse, Hitsugaya slowly began to notice his surroundings and finally noticed her.

" Tanaka? What are you doing here...? And where am I?...And why am I holding your arm? " He immediately jerked his hand away from Reimei's forearm and began to blush deeply. Reimei rubbed her slightly sleeping arm and cleared her throat to answer Hitsugaya's questions.

" Um...I sorta walked into you and apparently, you were drunk so I knocked you out so that you wouldn't do anything stupid and I carried you to your bed. " Reimei answered, all in the while, watching the young captain rubbing his forehead with a slightly pained expression on his face.

" Ugh...Damn it, it must be Matsumoto's doing. I hardly drink at all. " Reimei nodded her head, confirming that it was the lieutenant's idea to get Hitsugaya drunk and also thanking silently that she didn't need to use one of her other lame excuses to cover up for what happened. Reaching over to the glass of water and pills, she offered one to Hitsugaya who took it gratefully. Swallowing it with a gulp of water, he breathed out a sigh of relief, his headache already slowly surpassing.

" ..You should lie down a bit, once the pain is gone then you'll be free to continue to work or thank Matsumoto for being so thoughtful. " Hitsugaya chuckled lightly which then slowly became a soft laugh and then grew to a heartfelt laugh. Reimei couldn't help but slowly laughed along with him. The two shared a laugh and after a while, they calmed themselves.

" As if. I'll probably have to hide her sake stash somewhere for revenge. " Reimei giggled a bit at the thought of Matsumoto spazzing around looking for her beloved alcohol.

Glancing at her slightly, Hitsugaya's eyes softened a bit.

" ...Arigatou...Reimei. " Reimei glanced up, looking a bit surprised that he had actually called her by her first name. Smiling a bit, she nodded her head.

" Anytime, Hitsugaya-kun. "

" Toushiro..."

" Eh? "

" Just Toushiro...Whenever we're alone... " Hitsugaya spoke in a hush tone, almost not wanting to disturb the silence that was drifting around the room. Reimei nodded and flashed yet another sincere smile.

" Hai, Toushiro..." Reimei responded, " Demo, I'm not sure if whether you actually consider us that close to call each other by our first names. Unless you consider our pointless arguments 'bonding' time or you're not quite sober yet. " Added Reimei while smirking in amusement. Hitsugaya chuckled, shaking his head.

" Ya know, I don't quite know myself but I guess our arguments did sort of got us to be more...'acquainted' with each other..." Reimei couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

" I guess so...Toushiro. " Reimei concluded, taking the glass of water and bottle of aspirin and preparing to leave, " Well, I best be going. Just lay for a while until you're headache's gone. Ja ne.. "

Hitsugaya nodded, " Arigatou, Reimei. "

" Do itashimashite, Shiro-chan. " Reimei replied, winking with her tongue sticking out cutely before sliding the door open and walking out of his room. Hitsugaya frowned, having to probably add another person on his list that'll call him by the nickname, 'Shiro-chan.' He sighed, it can't really be helped but he smiled again faintly at the door where Reimei had walked through before lying back down, staring aimlessly at the ceiling.

-

As Reimei walked out of Hitsugaya's room, her two zanpakuto began to almost immediately pester her about the pleasant conversation she had with Hitsugaya.

"_**Sooo what was that about hmm?? "**_

_" Yeah, spill kid."_

"_It was just a friendly conversation..."_

_"__Sounded a bit more friendlier than me, I think he likes you...Though you DID admit to yourself that you liked him.."_

_" So? I only admitted it to MYSELF only. Not to any other soul but my own. "_

_**" Tsukuyomi is right, Hitsugaya is showing signs that he's taking a liking towards you too! So why don't you admit it your feelings? "**_

_**"**__ARE YOU NUTS?! I can NEVER do that! "_

_"__**But you're always smiling so often around him now and you rarely do that, you're constantly taking care of him whenever he's in need, and the only reason why you probably smile so much is because of him. I mean just the thought of him makes you smile and go gah-gah over him. "**_

_**"**__But you never know if he doesn't return those feelings, maybe he was just being a good friend and looks at me like a sister. And plus that's probably the only thing I don't have the courage to do; admit to my crush that I actually like them. And besides..."_

Reimei's eyes hardened, her softened features before turned into a look of seriousness.

"_What I've gotten myself into would probably be the most unforgivable thing anyone has ever commit. "_

**Awww a little bonding time with each other! how cute. BUT with all this affection going on, will everyone take Reimei's betrayal even harder than before? Especially Hitsugaya? What oh what will Reimei do once the time to play traitor is at hand? R&R!**_  
_


	13. Unheard Apology

**Vietvn: Chapter thirteen! The last turn of events before the big shocker for everyone in Soul Society!**

**Chapter Thirteen: Unheard Apology**

The following days afterwards, more and more things were starting to happen. Things such as an insanely large spirit force erupting from within Soul Society, most likely from one of the Ryokas. More encounters of the Ryokas were beginning to be more constant in Soul Society and even Zaraki Kenpachi was sent to the 4th division. On top of that, it was soon announced that Abarai Renji had recovered and has escaped from his cell, then Kira was broken out of his cell and finally, Hinamori was the last to escape. When the news was announced, Hitsugaya immediately made his way to the jail cell with Matsumoto. Reimei on the other hand, didn't want to tag along with Hitsugaya. Afterall, it involves Hinamori. Not that Reimei hated Hinamori, it's just that she felt that someone like her wouldn't succeed as a great shinigami, only the fact that she was good in demon arts.

A hell butterfly fluttered towards Reimei as she lounged around in Hitsugaya's office. Extending her hand, Reimei let the butterfly land on the tips of her fingers.

"**Tanaka-san, I expect you to meet me at the same spot while Gin is creating a scene...** " Knowing too well who would send a message like that to her, she sent the butterfly off and stood from the sofa she was sitting on. Grabbing her two swords, she strapped them in their respective spots on her back and flash stepped to the forest clearing. When she arrived, no one was there but she felt a spirit force making her ways towards her. Turning her attention in the direction it was coming from, Reimei waited patiently until the person showed up. An outline of a person made its way towards Reimei and as it came closer, she began to realize who it was.

" Tanaka-san, so glad you made it here. "

" What is it that you want? Aizen-taicho. " Reimei asked, keeping an eye on the man that was keeping to the shadows of the trees. Aizen let out a chuckle and stepped forward a bit, letting the moon's ray cast through the tree's leaves and shining down a bit on his figure.

" Always to the point. Come then, we must head to Central 46 Chamber. " Aizen said as he disappeared using shunpo. Reimei followed afterwards and they took a secret way into Central 46 Chamber.

" Why here? " asked Reimei after they made their way around.

" This is the place where everything happens. Many information was gathered here so think of this as my temporary hide out. " smirked Aizen. A moment of silence before Reimei spoke again.

" Aizen-taicho, what does Hinamori have to do with your plans? " Aizen once again chuckled and turned to face Reimei, arms crossed into his sleeves.

" She's nothing more than a pawn to me. The death letter I wrote to her was to simply make her think that someone close to her had killed me. " Reimei thought about it for a while before finally whispering in a hush tone.

" Jyuubantai taicho, Hitsugaya Toushiro..."

" Precisely..." Grinned Aizen.

" But do you seriously think that Hitsugaya would kill his own childhood friend, even if she was to raise a sword at him? "

" Hmm..If that's the case, then why don't you get rid of her yourself. Afterall, " Aizen's glasses shined in the light in a way that made him look like the true evil genius he is, " A shinigami like Hinamori doesn't deserve to be a part of the Gotei 13, right Tanaka-san? " Reimei glared, Aizen already knew that she had a slight hatred for the 5th division fukutaicho. But never has she been suggested to actually kill her, thinking about it, Reimei worked out an excuse of her own.

" Iie Aizen-taicho, you should have the honor of disposing your own pawns. Afterall, you are her dearly beloved Aizen-taicho. " Reimei intentionally made her tone into a mocking one, also knowing too well that Hinamori idolizes Aizen. At the statement, Aizen chuckled but did not say anything so Reimei continued.

" You killing her would show her that she shouldn't trust so easily and be naive. That's why a shinigami like her shouldn't deserve to be a shinigami at all. " Aizen nodded thoughtfully, smiling ever so slightly before finally responding.

" It is true, great minds think alike. Now, Tanaka-san, as you are leaving now, I only request that you'll keep Gin in check. " Reimei nodded, bowed once and flash stepped out of view to search for Ichimaru Gin.

-

Reimei sped off to find the 3rd division taicho. Jumping from roof to roof, she tried to sense his reiatsu anywhere in Seireitei. Fortunately, it appears that Ichimaru was in a battle since his reiatsu flared up dramatically along with someone else's; Hitsugaya's. This made it easier for Reimei to locate him. Turning towards the direction, Reimei shunpoe'd the rest of the way. When she came to the scene, she saw that there was more than two people there. Off to the side, Kira was frozen from the torso down and ice was covering most of the clear hardwood area in the division while Hinamori lay unconscious a few meters away. Hitsugaya was on the rooftop along with Ichimaru who had his arm frozen. Just when Shinso sped its way towards Hinamori, Reimei had landed a meter in front of her just in time to quickly deflect the long sword.

" T-Tanaka! " exclaimed Hitsugaya once he saw who it was that defended Hinamori. Ichimaru frowned for a moment but then grinned his fox like grin again.

" Aw Tanaka-san, you sure know how to ruin my fun..."

" I'd figured you'd be up to something like this, Ichimaru-taicho. I suggest you get out of my sight before I come up there to beat your sorry ass. "

" Awww how scary..." Ichimaru thawed out his arm from the chain on Hitsugaya's zanpakuto. Once he got loose, he jumped down from the roof and began to slowly walk away.

" Oi wai-! "

" Instead o' followin' after me Jyuuban taichou-han, I suggest ya take care o' miss 5th squad fukutaicho..." With that last word, Ichimaru shunpoe'd off. Hitsugaya jumped down from the roof and made his way to Reimei.

" Reimei, how'd you know I was here? "

" I sensed your reiatsu along with Ichimaru's so I came to check it out. " Hitsugaya nodded and was about to say something when Matsumoto showed up.

" Taicho! Reimei-chan! What happened? " She asked worriedly, looking between Hitsugaya and Reimei.

" I arrived last minute, only to find what you see now. " replied Reimei.

" Ichimaru Gin is up to something but I don't know what. The note you gave Hinamori said something about me killing Aizen, it was somehow forged by Ichimaru to make Hinamori attack me. "

" I see but we better take care of Hinamori and Kira. " Suggested Matsumoto. Hitsugaya nodded and proceeded to help up Hinamori with Reimei who later offered to help. Matsumoto went to fetch Kira and took him inside the 3rd division to rest. Hitsugaya and Reimei took Hinamori back to the 10th division. They placed her in a spare room and left her to rest, Matsumoto later showed up to see how things were with Hinamori. While doing so, a hell butterfly had fluttered in on them.

It landed on Matsumoto's extended finger and began to relay its message to her, "**Reporting to all captains and lieutenants. There has been a change regarding to the date of Kuchiki Rukia's execution. Enforcement of sentence will be twenty-nine hours from now. This is the final judgment, there will be no further change in date. That is all.**"

Hitsugaya stared in shock as for Reimei, she was suspecting that Aizen was behind this. Moving the date closer to only get his hands on the Hogyoku faster.

" ...Ichimaru, he's behind this. It had something to do with releasing the Soukyoku and using its powers to destroy Soul Society. If that's his true aim, then I cannot let this happen. "

" Taicho..."

" Follow me, Matsumoto, Tanaka..." He turned to the two of them with a stern look in his eyes, "We're going to stop this execution. " Reimei was cornered on what to do, knowing Hitsugaya, the first thing he'll do is to check out the Central 46 Chamber. But within that building was Aizen and as of now, she's still siding with him.

" ...Hai, Hitsu-san. If what you propose is true, then I shall do my best to help.." Reimei agreed but added, " But if you'll excuse me, I have some things to take care of..."

" Oi, Tanaka, " called Hitsugaya before she got ready to leave. Turning to face him, Reimei looked at him quizzically.

" We'll be leaving early in the morning to investigate. So please be prompt and ready and..." Hitsugaya shifted his gaze off to the side a bit, as if embarrassed by something, " ...Be careful, Tanaka. " Smiling a bit, Reimei nodded and flash stepped away.

" Hmmm?? Worried already Taicho?? I know you like her.. " teased Matsumoto. Hitsugaya just shot her a glare before walking off, ignoring the squeals and teases from Matsumoto as she followed him back to his office.

-

" Oh really? Hmm...Then I'll have to inform Ichimaru to create a diversion for him and his lieutenant" Aizen said thoughtfully with a hand under his chin, he smiled and then added, " I appreciate you informing me this, Tanaka-san. "

" I'm just making sure that you're plan will not be ruined after such hard planning...It would be a shame if things don't turn out the way you planned. "

" I knew you'll understand..Arigatou Tanaka-san. "

" My pleasure..."

" I expect you to be here tomorrow before they arrive then? And with Rukia's execution tomorrow, you are ready to remove the Hogyoku if this plan fails. " Added in Aizen as he began to walk back to his studies.

" Of course. "

" Good, you may leave. " smiled Aizen. With a bow, Reimei flash stepped away and began to race over the rooftops of Seireitei. It was already late at night, the moon shone brightly accompanied by tiny stars here and there. Seeing as how her execution was tomorrow, Reimei headed towards the Shrine of Penitence and stopped near the crack where the prisoner had a clear view of the Sokyoku.

" Rukia-san? " asked Reimei, kneeling in front of the slim crack. A shuffle of movements and violet eyes peered out curiously.

" T-Tanaka-san? You came back to Seireitei? When? How? "

" A while now Rukia-san. " chuckled Reimei, " I was just off training for a couple of years by myself. Then I decided it was the right time to come back. But I guess it wasn't, is it? " Rukia's eyes saddened.

" I'm sure you've heard the news...About my execution. "

" Yes, " Reimei sighed, " It can't really be helped can it? "

" No, it can't. " Reimei looked at the saddened face of Rukia and decided to lighten the mood.

" But you know, Kurosaki Ichigo is determined to rescue you outta this one. By the sounds from Yoruichi-sama, I'm sure he'll accomplish it with the help of your friends. " Rukia looked up shocked but then lowered her gaze again.

" He should've fled from Soul Society and forget about me, its too dangerous with all these captains and lieutenants here. "

" But he didn't, he's a good friend. He didn't abandon you. And plus, he has other great friends to support him, no matter how strong a captain or lieutenant might be. " Rukia went silent and a faint smile crept on her lips. Reimei also smiled now that Rukia wasn't in such a gloomy mood. Even though she and Rukia never talked, they always seem to meet randomly and tell each others problems, knowing well that the other will listen and understand. That's what Reimei liked about Rukia and deep down in her heart, she really didn't want her to die. As long as she still lived after all of this, Reimei was glad. But that thought led Reimei to think about how Aizen was relying on her to remove the Hogyoku from Rukia's soul. She wasn't sure if the method will kill her but the thought of it made her hesitant.

Noticing that there was nothing more to be said, Reimei got up and turned to Rukia was last time, "Have fate in your friends Rukia, I'm sure they'll not let you die so easily. " Rukia smiled a bit and nodded.

" Arigatou Reimei-chan..." Reimei smiled at Rukia and then took off into the night, making her way back to the 10th division building. She stopped when she reached the rooftop of the 10th division, not bothering to go inside. Instead she sat on the shingled roof, as she looked over Seireitei her mind slowly wandered to the thought of what she had done and what she was now committed to do.

'_I've made a deal with Aizen, the man who's behind everything; his own death, Kuchiki-san's execution, and probably the murder of Chamber 46. I've only allied with him to find out what he's truly up to, now that I have though, I have to still play along to avoid being caught early of double crossing. ' _Reimei's thoughts reflected on ways how she might get out of this mess but then came the thought of how everyone will take her 'betrayal.'

'_I've made too many bonds already, the deeper they are the harder it is for me to commit to my plans and actually make it seem believable that I'm on Aizen's side. ' _Her hand tightened into a fist.

'_Matsumoto-san, Rukia-san, Abarai-san, Yoruichi-sama, Ojii-sama...Toushiro, '_Reimei looked down in despair, knowing too well that her betrayal will soon be revealed. No one would suspect she'd be in it too but no one knows her true intentions. Not knowing what will come out of it or whether she'll be able to see her friends ever again, Reimei's eyes slowly shut as sleep was overcoming her.

'_Sumimmasen, minna...Forgive me...'_

**Dun Dun Dunnn!! If u watched the anime of this episode, then u'll kno its almost time for everyone to find out about Reimei! How will they react?? R&R! Plz and thank uu!!**

** Next Chapter: Judgement Day **_  
_


	14. Judgement Day

Vietvn: OMGG This is itt!! Ch. 14! The turn of events!

**Chapter Fourteen: Judgment Day**

When the sun was just about to rise earlier the next day, Reimei woken up with a few cramps from sleeping on the roof for the whole night. Climbing down from the roof, she quickly headed to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. After that, she realized that Rukia's execution was today and was starting in a few hours. But the next thought that came confused her even more, Hitsugaya had informed her that they'll be investigating on how to stop the execution from happening but Aizen would be waiting inside the Central 46 Chambers.

' _I don't know what to do...I don't want to betray everyone but it's for their own sake, if I'm siding with Aizen I can find out how to stop his plan and share what I've learned with everyone else. That way, we could be more perpared...But...'_

"_**It's your choice Reimei but no matter what you decide, we'll be right here beside you. "**_

"_ And besides, your gonna double cross Aizen anyways. I suggest you write a note to Hitsugaya, make up some excuse and head over to Aizen. "_

"_**You're being smart again, who are you and what have you done to Tsukuyomi?! "**_

_" Shut up bird..."_

Agreeing with the dragon, Reimei went around the division to find a pen and paper. Writing a quick note, she set it on Hitsugaya's desk and quickly shunpoe'd off to the Central 46 Chambers.

-

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto had woken up minutes after Reimei had left. They strapped on their zanpakuto and after placing a barrier around Hinamori's room, they prepared to leave but were still waiting on Reimei.

" Where is she?..." muttered Hitsugaya more to himself.

" ...Honestly Taicho, I really don't know. " replied Matsumoto sadly. Hitsugaya perked up and looked up at his lieutenant.

" What do you mean? Didn't she come in last night? "

" No...I don't think so. Or she might've left early. "

" Then she could have the decency to leave a note... " Hitsugaya said annoyed already.

" Then maybe she did...Perhaps in your office? " suggested Matsumoto. Hitsugaya took her up on the idea and headed to his office. He slid open the door and inspected the whole area until he came to his desk where Reimei's note laid neatly folded with his and Matsumoto's name on it. He took the note and quickly scanned through it, after a while he narrowed his eyes and tossed the note aside.

" What does it say Taicho? " asked Matsumoto, seeing the slightly angered expression on his face. Hitsugaya didn't say a word but walked out of his office with a quick gesture to follow. Matsumoto rushed over to his desk, reached over to the note and began to read it herself, wondering what it said to make Hitsugaya in such an angry mood.

Hitsu-san, Matsumoto-san;

I'm really sorry that I can't meet up with you this morning. I've decided to go on ahead seeing as how I had accidentally woken up earlier this morning. Hopefully, we should meet up again. If my guess is correct then we should meet up again, if not, then I'm deeply sorry for this inconvenience.

Sincerely, Reimei

' _Is this what Taicho was angry about? ' _giggled Matsumoto, ' _Oh Taicho, I'm afraid you're more in love than you know it..'_

" MATSUMOTO!! " came the shout of an even more angry 10th division captain. Matsumoto jumped and quickly sped out of the office to catch up with her captain. Once she reached Hitsugaya, he immediately took off with her following as they headed to who knows where. After a few minutes of running across rooftops, Matsumoto finally had the courage to ask the still angry captain.

" Ano Taicho, where are we going? "

" ...The Central 46 Chambers...They're in charge of making the decisions in Seireitei, so they're in charge of the execution. We have to stop them from letting this execution go on. " Matsumoto nodded and when they reached one of the gates of the 46 Chambers, Hitsugaya took out his zanpakuto and broke down the security bars and the wall itself, allowing them entry. Once inside, they were greeted with a sight that shocked them.

" W-What is this...What's going on?" Hitsugaya managed to mutter as he and Matsumoto stared wide eyed at the slaughtered occupants in the chamber. They slowly made they're way around the bodies that were still seated in the circular desk. Hitsugaya ran his fingers against the darkened blood, which he muttered to himself that it was dry enough to crumble. Upon this discovery, he came to realize that maybe the court was slaughtered long before yesterday, maybe even weeks or months before.

Hitsugaya gritted his teeth, if they were slaughtered long before that, did that mean that they were taking false orders? Who did this? Was it Ichimaru? But he can't go that far without help so was he allied with someone else too? Before he could come up with any possible answer or even more questions, his thoughts were interrupted.

" I thought you would be here, Hitsugaya-taicho. " Alarmed, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto looked up ahead of them. On a flight of stairs stood Izuru Kira, 3rd division fukutaicho.

" Kira! You aren't the one who did this, are you?! " demanded Hitsugaya from below. Kira ignored him and slowly began to disappear into the room where the stairs led. Seeing the only person who might know the answer slip away, Hitsugaya immediately started to pursue him.

" Follow him, Matsumoto! "

" Hai! " The two began to run after Kira, making twist and turns and flash stepping up stairs til finally Kira had led them outside. Still they chased him, unknown to them that someone had followed them to the Central 46 Chambers.

-

" As of now, Izuru-san is leading the two away from here? So that is your plan to distract them? "

" Of course, I wouldn't want to be found out that soon. After all, I still need to take care of someone..."

" Momo Hinamori-fukutaicho? "

" That's right, and she should be lead here by Gin himself. "

" Hn. " Reimei and Aizen were waiting patiently in the Seijyoutou Kyorin(Purification Meditation Tower). After a few more minutes, footsteps can be heard along with faint mutters of voices. Reimei moved over to the shadows and stayed hidden while concealing her reiatsu, Aizen also moved off to the side to hide himself as the figure of Ichimaru Gin made its way up the steps of the tower.

" Why are you taking me to this place, Ichimaru-taicho? " asked the timid voice of Hinamori. Ichimaru kept on walking into the tower leaving Hinamori no choice to but follow him out of curiosity.

" Have you come here before, Hinamori-chan? "

" Oh no, this place is restricted isn't it? So there's no way I have been here before..." replied Hinamori, hands clutched close to her chest as she kept following the 3rd division captain.

" Its a favor for the person who wants to meet you. " said Ichimaru as he came to a halt within the building, Hinamori followed in afterwards, still a bit wary about the whole thing.

" Someone...who wants to meet me? "

" That's right. "

" But..."

" See, take a look. Behind you. " Ichimaru said as he turned to Hinamori.

" Behind me? "

Confused, Hinamori turned around just in time to see a figure emerge from behind her. Reimei still stood within the depths of the tower, concealed in the shadows as she watched the scene in front of her unfold. Ichimaru shot a side glance at Reimei and seemed to grin wider before turning away. Reimei ignored him, her eyes still glued to Hinamori and Aizen.

" Aizen-taicho! "

" It's been a while hasn't it? Hinamori-kun. " smiled Aizen. Reimei, even though she saw Aizen often, couldn't let the fact that his smile still creeped her out slip. It really did resemble something close to Ichimaru's grin but she would've figured since they used to be the captain and lieutenant of the same division.

" Are you really Aizen-taicho? You were suppose to be dead..."

" I'm alive as you can see. " Hinamori shakily made her towards Aizen, arms outstretched as if to see if it wasn't some illusion. Tears slowly began to build up in her eyes and stream down her face.

" I'm sorry, I've made you worried. " Aizen said smoothly with a sympathetic look. Reimei had to hand it to him, that man really knows how to act. Aizen raised his hand and started to pet Hinamori's head in a caring way that even Reimei almost believed that he truly did care for his lieutenant. But she thought otherwise, what made her brush away that thought is what he's about to do. There's no doubt that he's only toying with her feelings, especially the way she idolized him so much it was beyond Reimei's understandings. Hinamori clutched onto Aizen's haori and rested her head against his chest and cried to herself. Slowly Aizen brought up his hands to embrace the younger girl. Really, it was a touching scene but Reimei couldn't help but feel a bit guilty that Hinamori's loyalty was all for nothing. A few more words of apologies were said by Aizen, only to be brushed off quickly by Hinamori. The girl truly couldn't care less of the world as long as Aizen was alive.

" I'm so glad to have you as my subordinate. Thank you Hinamori-kun. Truly, thank you...Goodbye. " With that last word of farewell, Aizen's zanpakuto plunged into Hinamori's stomach and protruded out from the other side. Looking up with wide, tearful eyes, Hinamori couldn't comprehend what had happened before the sword was ripped out of her and she collapsed on the floor in a bloody mess.

" Let's go, Gin, Reimei. "

**Reimei's POV**

As I was about to leave my place in the shadows, I took one last look at Hinamori who lay motionless on the ground in her own blood. I looked back up to see that Aizen and Ichimaru were standing in front of the entrance still and seemed to be talking to someone else who had came. Straining my ears on the conversation, I heard a familiar voice; a voice I was dreading to here, especially in a time like this.

" Hey, Hitsugaya-kun. " said Aizen casually to the breathless Hitsugaya.

" Aizen! What does this mean? Are you really Aizen? " I heard Hitsugaya asked, by the sound of his voice, he was clearly surprised.

" Of course, as you can see I'm the real thing. " replied Aizen, arms crossed into his sleeves as usual, " Even so, Hitsugaya-taicho has returned a lot quicker than expected. " Aizen turned side ways a bit to look at Ichimaru who was still grinning and began to play along.

" Sorry bout that. It looks like the play's attraction was too weak. "

" What are you talking about?! " demanded Hitsugaya.

" What are we discussing? We're just talking about our war tactics. The first step in war tactics is to decrease the enemy's number. " Aizen smirked, turning his attention back to Hitsugaya. I stood within the midst of the shadows again, I guess the least I could do is check if Hinamori was still alive. I quietly made my way over to her and knelt down to her. Placing two fingers on her neck, I searched for a pulse. I felt a faint one but all in all she was still alive.

" Enemy's!? " asked Hitsugaya, looking around he finally noticed that something was wrong, "Where's Hinamori?! "

" Well now, I wonder where..." Aizen asked himself, glancing towards me in the corner of his eye. I felt a rush of air speed towards me and before I knew it Hitsugaya was in front of me and Hinamori. I looked up calmly at him, he was beyond shocked. He stared down at me and Hinamori.

" Hina...mori...Reimei...Wh.." He was lost for words seeing me there. I stood up slowly and he watched my every move, " W-What are you doing here?! How-...Why? I don't understand..."

" I see you've met my other subordinate..." smirked Aizen as he and Ichimaru turned around to watch the scene.

" Other subordinate?! " Hitsugaya asked, he turned to me, " What the hell is going on?! Reimei! What are you-.."

" Toushiro, I never would have suspected that you'll catch me. But sharp sense as always. " I said.

" Don't tell me...You're...You're part of this...The murder of Central 46, Kuchiki Rukia's execution, and... " He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. I stared calmly at him, my eyes softened. I really didn't want to do this but it's for everyone's safety.

" Toushiro, I..."

" This isn't you Reimei! How could you?! Up until now, Hinamori, me, Matsumoto, everyone..." He glared hard at me, " You were deceiving us along with Ichimaru and Aizen?! "

" We had no intentions on deceiving anyone. It's just no one understood...the real me." spoke up Aizen finally. I was glad too since now I didn't have to talk to Hitsugaya. The white haired captain turned to face Aizen, averting his glare on me to Aizen.

" Didn't understand...? Hinamori...Hinamori admired you. " said Hitsugaya, " She joined the Gotei 13 just to be a little closer to you. She wanted to help you, so she worked insanely hard to become a fukutaicho like she wanted. "

" I know. There is nothing easier than to manipulate a person who admires you. That's why I pushed for her to become my subordinate. This is a good opportunity. You should remember this Hitsugaya-kun. Admiration is the furthest thing from understanding. " Hitsugaya was utterly shocked, he stared disbelievingly at Aizen with wide eyes. I lowered my head, doubt and guilt quickly rushing through my mind. But before I could decide on anything, a strong reiatsu appeared and when I looked up it was from Hitsugaya. The force of it demolished the whole tower. I narrowly made it out along with Ichimaru and Aizen who had jumped away.

" Ban kai. Daiguren Hyourinamru! " The whole entire area was covered in ice and I made a grab for Tsumetai Kaze.

' _I can't let him fight Aizen, he'll be dead before he knows it. '_

_"__** Good idea..Its best if you step in. "**_

" Aizen, I will kill you. "

" Don't use such strong words, they make you seem weak. " stated Aizen with a grin. Before Hitsugaya could charge though, I quickly flash stepped in between the two and deflected Hitsugaya's blade.

" You've proven yourself to be quite loyal, Tanaka-san. " I ignored Aizen and concentrated on Hitsugaya who was in front of me. He stared back shocked but then his eyes narrowed into a glare.

" Why Reimei...Why?! Why the hell would you side with Aizen?! "

" My reasons are sentimental...But right now, " I held Tsumetai Kaze in front of me, " I cannot let you go on any further. " Raising the sword up, I prepared myself for the worst. There's no turning backafter this,

" Ban kai, Aiiro Soten no Tsumetai Kaze. "

OMGGG!!!! Wht's gonna happen next?! R&R!


	15. Sumimmasen Toushiro Sayonara

**Vietvn: omgg here it is! the fightt between hitsugaya and reimeii!!! hope this doesn't disappoint u too much cuz i suck at fight scenes, XP**

**Chapter Fifteen: Sumimmasen Toushiro. Sayonara...**

Once I called the command, I threw the zanpakuto up in the air. Puzzled, Hitsugaya watched as the sword froze over itself and shattered into small white petals. Once again, they reformed back into a slender dark blue blade like it had before and the blue fan that came with it. But my bankai wasn't done yet, the remaining petals gathered into a large bunch and reformed my outfit. Overlapping my attire, the petals soon disappeared, leaving me in the outfit that usually appears when I called bankai.

It looked like a normal kimono but the top of it was a tube top. The kimono reached all the way to my ankle but there was a long slit going up my left leg to make it easier to move. The sleeves however, were more like arm warmers that had cloud like fasteners on the top and sky blue stitching that outlined the sleeves. A white sash kept the powder blue kimono together. To finish the look, the kimono was decorated with phoenixs stitched with silver thread and a collar that matched the kimono also came with the outfit**.(A/N: Picture of her outfit is on my profile page except whatever is red is powder blue/sky blue and the rest is white except the phoenix are all silver plus the top is wht i described; tube top, lookin more like a kimono...ya know...?)**

Gripping the zanpakuto, I stared ahead at Hitsugaya in a firm gaze. He stood his grounds and stared back but soon his stare narrowed to almost a glare.

" Reimei, you don't have to do this. Aren't we on the same side?! "

" Not anymore, Toushiro. "

" But why?! Why?! Tell me why you've went against us?! What reason is there for you to switch sides and go against us?! " Even though his voice was masked by anger, I could tell that he was deeply hurt by this news. For a moment my eyes softened, I really didn't want to do this but it was for everyone's sake, including his.

" I'm sorry Toushiro but my reasons are for my own knowing. " I said before flash stepping in front of him. Surprised by my actions, I didn't give him a moment of thought before slashing down on him. But I guess I underestimated his reaction because he flash stepped out of the way and was behind me ready to strike down too. Holding my sword up, I blocked his just in time and we were in a dead lock.

" That's not a good enough excuse! " I ignored him and drop kicked him. Falling to the ground for a moment, he looked up surprised but managed to roll and back flip away from my zanpakuto which was inches away from piercing down on him. Using his wings, Hitsugaya managed to gain more speed. Disappearing from my sight, it shocked me at how fast he just became. Barely catching a glimpse out of the corner of my eye, Hitsugaya came crashing down with his sword. I blocked it but the pressure of it was too much to hold off for long. Our zanpakutos began to shake and I was thrown back from the sudden thrust by Hitsugaya. The moment our swords disconnected from the dead lock, I was puched in the gut by the hilt of Hitsugaya sword. Letting out a surprised cry, I was thrown back.

Back flipping to regain my balance I held my blade up vertically, " Daikamaitachi! (Great Cutting Whirlwind) " Slicing down diagonally, a massive whirlwind erupted from the blade. It sliced through all the ice pillars in the room and managed to nick Hitsugaya with a couple of gashes. He winced against the pressure and jumped away, appearing behind me and scratched me on the arm just as I moved out of the way.

' _I have to end this quickly but I'm not going to hurt him badly_. '

"_Well good luck with that. It's sorta hard to not hurt your oppenant when your fighthing them, unless you're having a friendly spar. But with Aizen watchin', you gotta make it look real..._"

I gritted my teeth, blocking yet another strike from Hitsugaya. We were smashing each other's blade senseless, managing to scratch each other once or twice but no major wounds. I decided to try to release yet another attack, hoping that this would knock him unconscious in one blow.

" Ice Phoenix Wind Blade! " **(A/N: Aha, this attack I do own :P)** Swiping my blade horizontally, the very tip overflowed with ice, forming into a large phoenix. It gave a shrill cry before charging in on Hitsugaya, it's sharpened ice wings glistening as it sped towards him. Hitsugaya stood his grounds, not bothering to try and avoid the attack and held out his sword towards the large bird. As it made contact with his blade, it bursted into two different directions. I couldn't see anything afterwards since it was too misty from the broken ice but a slash on my right shoulder told me otherwise. Gripping the newly cut wound, I turned around and behind me stood Hitsugaya with his back facing towards me, blade held out to the side with a droplet of blood sliding down the tip of the sword.

" Reimei, I want you to reconsider what you're doing. Please..." He turned his head slightly, facing me with sorrowful eyes, " I don't want to resort to killing you..." For a moment, I really did reconsider what I was doing. Joining the bad side was something someone wouldn't do unless he/she has a cruel mind. But also the look in his eyes, they were breaking my heart. Deep down, his mind was begging me to not go through with this. My eyes softened again.

' _Gomen..Toushiro. I don't want to hurt you, I'm only doing so that Aizen doesn't hurt you more severly_. '

" Iie, Toushiro. I've made up my mind, there's no going back.." I said, trying to convince even myself. Taking out the fan that was tucked into my sash, I drew it out and held up Tsumetai Kaze, aligning it. A silver chain started to connect itself from the end of Tsumetai Kaze to the end of the fan and short daggers also appeared at the ends of the fan. Throwing the daggered fan towards Hitsugaya, the chain lengthed to meet its goal. Hitsugaya dodged the fan and flash stepped towards me. Stopping the fan with the chain, it rounded back to me like a boomerang.

I back flipped to avoid the swings from Hitsugaya's blade. Using his wings, he lifted himself off the ground and fought me in the air. It seemed like he had the advantage but all things are not as they appear. Just when I landed from my back flip, ice shot towards the place where I was suppose to land.

" Ryusenka! " (Dragon Hail Flower) When the mist cleared away from the ice, there was nothing trapped in the ice flower. Of course that's what to be expected. Afterall, I am viewing this from above the ground.

" You're not going to catch anything on the ground Toushiro..." I called. He glanced up, shocked to see that I had my own pair of wings but instead they were brightly lit feathered wings. They gave off an icy blue glow which resembled a lot like Tsumetai Kaze's own wings. Flapping his wings, our battle was soon taken to the sky. Clashing blades, dodging, attacking and countering, our fight seemed to not end.

' _This has gone off too long_, '

" Tanaka-san, we'll be seeing you later. I'm sure you'll have no problem locating us but it'll be appreciated if you don't be late..." called Aizen from below, I glanced down along with Hitsugaya, noticing that also Unohana-taicho and her fukutaicho, Kotetsu Isane had showed up.

" Hai, taicho. I understand..." I replied monotonously. He nodded with a smirk and Gin pulled out a long strip of white cloth from his sleeve which swirled around the two. In a blinding flash of light, they were gone.

" Matte Aizen! " shouted Hitsugaya as he was about to go after those two but I quickly flew to block his way.

" You're fight with me still hasn't ended yet, Toushiro..." I said. He gritted his teeth and charged at me, I blocked his attack with my zanpakuto while my fan wrapped around his wrist tightly. His eyes widened in shock and I grasped the chain and threw him towards the ground. I flew down and landed a couple of meters away from his impact which made a small crater on the ground. Hitsugaya shakily stood up, it was then that I noticed that his flowers were disappearing. There was now only one and two petals left from the original three.

'_ I have to end it, it's now or never...Toushiro..this may be the last time I'll ever see you again...Sumimmasen..._' As he stood up and regained his balance, slightly out of breath, I decided to make my last move. Quickly using the full extent of my flash stepping skills, I disappeared and reappeared suddenly in front of Hitsugaya. He was shocked and his eyes were widened to show it. By the look on his face, he was expecting an attack or something from me. But considering how close our faces were, I guess that was another thing to be shocked. I titled my head slightly and finally leaned in all the way, closing the gap between us.

**Normal POV**

What Hitsugaya expected turned out to be the unexpected. Soft lips met his own and he was clearly taken aback by this action. Knowing too well of who's lips they belonged to, he couldn't help but be shocked the way he was now. He felt his widened eyes slowly start to ease down and they were just about half closed. Hitsugaya was slowly starting to melt into the kiss he was brought into, everything around him started to fade and it was only them. He felt her right hand gently cup his face and then ran through his hair, it just made him give in more and more. It was pure bliss for him. But then something jerked him out of his heaven and his eyes widened again at the sudden pain that ran through his body. Hitsugaya's mind went blank and he felt himself fall back, his whole body felt numb and he could do nothing to keep himself up.

Collapsing onto the ground, Hitsugaya was knocked unconscious by Reimei's zanpakuto piercing through him, just like how Aizen had done with Hinamori. Reimei stood in front of him, blade bloodied as she stared down at him. The taste of his lips still lingering on her's. A wave of guilt and pain filled her heart and mind, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that maybe she was just like Aizen. Reimei had broken someone's trust with a single pierce through the stomach.

Pattering of rushed footsteps made its way to Reimei's ear and she turned around only to find Isane and Unohana-taicho. They stared in shock at her as she stared back at them.

" T-Tanaka-san...You're...You're in this too?! " asked Isane in disbelief as Unohana-taicho stared sadly at the raven-violet haired girl.

" You've found me out Kotetsu-fukutaicho. " Reimei managed to say, the bankai outfit slowly started to disintegrate into white feathers and she was left in her normal attire. Her zanpakuto had also reverted back to its normal state and the fan was also mere feathers. She sheathed it back into it's case and proceeded to walk away. Unohana-taicho made no effort to stop her which confused her lieutenant who stood beside her puzzled.

" Unohana-taicho..." Reimei spoke up, taking the time to stop but not turning the face the medic shinigami.

" ...Hai, Tanaka-san..? " Unohana-taicho's soft voice answered back.

" Onegai...Please take care of them, don't let them die..." Unohana was a bit surprised at such a humble request from a so called traitor. But nonetheless, Unohana-taicho managed a small, sad smile on her face appear though Reimei could not see it.

" Hai...I won't. It is my duty to not. "

" ...Arigatou. And.. " Reimei looked down thoughtfully, " Sayonara..." With that, she flash stepped away. Unohana stared ahead at where Reimei had last stood before turning around to heal Hitsugaya and Hinamori.

" Hai...Sayonara, Tanaka-san...And take care..." muttered Unohana to herself quietly.

**GASPPP...No comment LOL n e wayss wht will the after math be of Reimei's betrayal??..R&R!! thankss!!**


	16. Guess This is Really Good Bye

**Here we go! Ch. Sixteen! Enjoy:)**

**Chapter Sixteen: Guess This Is Really Good Bye**

**Reimei's POV**

I raced towards Sokyoku Hill, already sensing Aizen's spirit force coming from there along with Ichimaru's. Flash stepping, I made it to Sokyoku Hill. There I saw Ichimaru standing off to the side while Aizen did all the talking and explaining, as always. Over to the side, Renji laid on the ground badly wounded and bleeding but was conscious enough to hear what Aizen had to say. An orange haired shinigami was also there, collapsed on the ground. I think it was one of Yoruichi's students; Ichigo Kurosaki? As Aizen continued to tell the two shinigami what he was about to do next, he was dragging Rukia along with him by that red collar around her neck.

I didn't think anybody noticed me since all eyes were on the fifth division captain...Or former fifth division captain. Aizen came to a stop, a few meters away from Renji and Ichigo. He stopped speaking and nodded towards me. I took that cue to shunpoe'd towards him, bowing lowly to him before speaking.

" Hai, Aizen-taicho...? "

" Remove the Hogyoku. " I glanced at Rukia who met my gaze in a shocked manner. I only gave her that same sorrowful and apologetic look before taking out a small case. Pushing the small button on top, it let off a small ounce of reiatsu and green spikes suddenly shot out of the ground around us. My hand started to turn green and with one apologetic look towards Rukia again, I plunged the hand through the core of her soul. Her eyes widened in shock and slowly I pulled out the small sphere like object. She collapsed onto her knees, still shocked at what had happened. My hand slowly turned back to its fleshy state and I handed the Hogyoku to Aizen who took and examined it.

" So this tiny thing is the Hogyoku? " He muttered, a bit disappointed at its small size but nonetheless, smirked and turned to Rukia. Grabbing her by the collar again, he held her up and turned towards Ichimaru.

" You are no longer of any use to me, Kuchiki Rukia. Ichimaru, kill her. " My eyes widened for a second. He didn't say anything about killing her, just removing the Hogyoku and that's it. But figured, the bad guys always turn on their words. I resisted the urge to take out my zanpakuto to defend Rukia.

" Hai, Aizen-taicho. " smirked Ichimaru, " Ikorose, Shinso. " His zanpakuto lengthened and was pointed straight at Rukia. But as the blade neared its target, a rush of wind slightly ruffled Aizen's sleeve and blood splattered onto the ground. Glancing over, I noticed that Rukia was no longer in his grasp except that she was being held by Byakuya. I was to say, surprised by the seemingly cold hearted captain. The blade was lodged mere inches away from his heart. His left hand was bloodied up by holding the blade to stop it from piercing through him while in his right hand, he held onto Rukia protectively. As the sword recoiled out of his body, blood splattered onto the ground and the sixth division captain collapsed onto his knees, only being held up by Rukia.

" Nii-sama! Nii-sama! Why?! Why'd you save me?! " I mentally scowled Rukia for saying such words. I was about to jump in and protect her myself but I'm glad that someone already did it for me. Not that I wanted Byakuya to get killed in the process but at least it shows he cares for his younger, adopted sister.

Aizen didn't really care about all that, he was just about to turn and leave as did I and Ichimaru but suddenly many figures appeared on the hill. I glanced nervously around as Aizen had a sword pointed to his throat and was held in place by Yorouichi and Soi Fon. Ichimaru was held back back Matsumoto and then I had finally noticed Tousen who, like the two other captains, was held by a shinigami or more specifically by his own lieutenant. I was just about to pull out my zanpakuto when a blade was also pressed against my own neck.

" Don't move.. " My gaze drifted to the corner of my eye and to my captor. It was Ukitake-taicho. His face was devoid from emotions as he held his zanpakuto. I closed my eyes, knowing how disappointed and shocked from the discovery of my betrayal he was. A few more words were exchanged before a crack in the sky appeared. I looked up and a beam of light surrounded Aizen which forced Yoruichi and Soi Fon to retreat. Another beam of light came down and Menos Grande along with Gillians appeared in the crack that lead to Hueco Mundo. The beam of light surrounded Tousen, then Gin and finally I was engulfed in the light myself.

Ukitake-taicho, like Matsumoto and Hisagi, jumped back to avoid being caught in the light which then began to pull us up. The ground I was standing on became the platform and Tousen, Aizen and Ichimaru were lifted towards the crack in the sky.

" You even joined hands with Menos...For what reason? " asked Ukitake as he glared down Aizen.

" To seek new heights. "

" Have you fallen to the ground, Aizen? "

" Your arrogance is excessive, Ukitake. No one was standing in Heaven to begin with. Not you, not me, not even God. " Went on Aizen, he slowly took off his glasses, " However, that unbearable vacancy in the throne of Heaven will end. From now on, I will stand in Heaven. " Brushing his hair back, I soon realized that now he truly did look like a criminal mastermind.

' _So the whole glasses, innocent, kind natured act was a disguise. Huh, no wonder no one suspected him. He just doesn't seem like the guy to rebel against Soul Society._ '

"_** We must figure out as soon as possible what he is planning on continuing what he has started... Or else I'm afraid that Soul Society will be doomed. **_"

' _You're right, I have to play my role to get what we need. And as soon as I done, I'll be sure to receive the punishment for my actions. No matter what... _'

" Farewell, shinigami. And farewell, ryoka boy. For a human, you were truly interesting. " And with that, the Negacion carried us towards the entrance to Hueco Mundo. I took one last glance down at the people who I was once well acquainted with, friends and all. I caught Yoruichi staring up disbelievingly at me, knowing too well she also did not suspect a person like me; her own student. Soi fon however, looked quizzically at her and followed her gaze only to meet mine. Her eyes narrowed to a glare and from then on, I knew that Soul Society won't forget the faces of their traitors and their actions. As the entrance sealed up, the view of Soul society, its people, and the clear blue sky faded and turned to nothing more than darkness.

-

**Normal POV**

Everyone seems to have their glare directed at the tear that was once in the sky. After a while, the fourth squad arrived to heal those who were injured by Aizen before he left. Ichigo was treated separately by Orihime while the rest of the injured shinigamis were tended by the fourth squad. After everything was finished, everyone went back to their division to get a goodnight's sleep before waking up early the next morning to fix up the damage that was left behind.

As all the shinigami seated officers, lieutenants and captains headed back to their rightful division, one headed off elsewhere. 10th division lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku had found herself following after the fourth division officers. A reason why she would go to the relief centre was because she had to deliver the news of Reimei's betrayel to a certain white haired captain who was injured. She felt like she needed to do that, it was her duty to report whatever that has been going on to her captain who had missed it.

So there she was, walking in the many hallways of the fourth division, looking for one specific room which she had been told that her captain was resting in. Once she had found the room, she gently knocked on the door and waited. When she thought that her captain was still asleep, she stepped inside quietly only to find him sitting up against the headboard of the bed, staring blankly into space.

Matsumoto, not quite sure what to say or do, quietly came in, shut the door and waited for her captain to talk first. A moment of silence swept through the atmosphere, all Matsumoto could do was stare down at her feet while shifting uncomfortably. When she finally mustered enough courage to say something, the young captain spoke.

" What do you want Matsumoto...? " Matsumoto stood in thought before speaking, carefully choosing her words.

" Taicho...I'm just here to report what you've missed while you were gone. "

" I know most of the details already Matsumoto...No need for explaining..." Hitsugaya's voice spoke lowly and almost devoid from any emotions. Matsumoto immediately took notice of that but did not need to think about the matter because she already knew what the cause of this was.

_' So...he knows already...'_

" Taicho...Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen left for Hueco Mundo after they're betrayals...and..." Matsumoto hesitated, not really sure if she should say the one other person who had left along with the former captains.

" ...She left too...Didn't she..." It didn't sound so much like a question coming from Hitsugaya, more like a statement which he needed to add. Matsumoto figured he'd catch on, considering he did went back to the 46 Chamber to look for Hinamori. Piecing two and two together, he must've met her there along with Aizen and Ichimaru.

Hitsugaya continued to stare into space, not bothering to give Matsumoto a glance to signal her that he wasn't going to talk much so with that, his lieutenant left, knowing too well he needed some time to think alone.

Even when Matsumoto left, the atmosphere in the room Hitsugaya was in didn't change. The young captain was too caught up in his thoughts to let his surroundings bother him.

_' I don't get it...I don't get it at all...Why would she leave..? And in a fashion like this? Was there something that Soul Society did in the past that made her do these things and agree to help Aizen...? If so, then what? ..There has to be a reason...It's not like her to do something like this...'_

Many questions swirled around in his mind but none were answered. Hitsugaya furrowed his eyebrows in frustration, this news was something he can't and won't understand until someone clarified it for him. And the only person to ease his troubled mind was the one person who had caused it.

_' Reimei...Either that you did this willingly or someone had tricked you into doing this...Aizen will pay for the things he has done..One way or the another...I can guarantee that.. ' _Hitsugaya's grip on the white sheets tightened and his troubled conscience turned to an angered one. He knew exactly who to blame for all of this mayhem and he'll make sure he payed the price for it. Hitsugaya remained deep in thoughts for another few minutes before he was calm enough to decide to get up and go back to his division to take order once more. He quickly changed into his shinigami robes, not forgetting the white haori overcoat. Once he was done, he left the hospital room but before he made his way out of the fourth division, he headed towards one other room to visit someone.

It took him a while but he finally managed to find Hinamori Momo, fast asleep on the bed with a breathing aid over her mouth. Hitsugaya's eyes saddened a bit, guilt starting to creep back into his conscience. The only phrase that ran through his mind was,' if only..' But there was nothing he could do now to fix all of the events that happened, there was nothing anybody can do that can fix it. As he turned to leave, a gentle voice spoke up.

" Not a word..? You're not going to say anything? " Turning slightly he spotted the fourth division captain, Unohana-taicho, " A person who is lost needs to hear the voice of the ones they care about. That way, it will be easier to let the person know that he or she is needed. "

Hitsugaya's gaze drifted downwards and his head slightly hung in shame before he spoke a soft reply, " ...I'm afraid for me, there is nothing more to say...If you'll excuse me... " With that, he walked off. Unohana-taicho stared sadly after the young captain and once she was sure he was out of earshot, she let out a sigh.

'_ Honestly, that child takes too much of the weight of a captain. Even if he knows that there was nothing anybody can do, he still blames himself for the cause. ' _Unohana smiled a sad smile, the one that was similar to the one she gave to Reimei, '_ Those kids are too much alike, Hitsugaya-taicho; she really does love you. She has realized that, now let's see if you can too. _' Unohana's thoughts drifted to Reimei herself, thinking and hoping that maybe her final departure with the medic captain was a sign that she didn't do this for a bad cause.

**With Hitsugaya**

He slowly made his way back to his division, head still slightly hung low. The setting sun finally descended under the horizon and night was upon Seireitei, everyone was back at their division to get a good night's sleep before waking up early to start working on restoring Seireitei from the damages.

Hitsugaya let out a sigh as he trekked onwards and before he can comprehend it, he was back at his respective division. He made his way inside and immediately went to his office to finish off the forgotten paperwork on his desk. Even though he was in no mood to do such tedious things, he needed something to take his mind off of things. But to his surprise, as he entered his office, there wasn't a single trace of paperwork anywhere on his desk. As he looked more carefully, he noticed the only thing on his desk was a small piece of paper neatly folded with his name on it.

Hitsugaya stared, a bit perplexed at the note for a while. It was a moment before he decided to read it so he gently picked it up and unfolded it to read its contents:

**Taicho,**

**I know you've had a rough day so I decided to do the remaining paperwork.**

**Please ease your mind a bit before you start stressing. Take it easy okay?**

**Signed,**

**Lieutenant Matsumoto Rangiku**

He scoffed a bit after reading, a bit disappointed that he doesn't have anything to keep his mind away from his troubled thoughts but glad that his lieutenant was doing something that was actually considerate. It was true, he needed to relax himself before he starts stressing. So with a sigh, he left the office for the night and headed towards his room to end the tiring day. He layed in bed, staring aimlessly at the cieling. It took him a while before he closed his eyes finally but the mysterious aching pain in his heart didn't disappear as easily.

**Oh mann poor hitsugaya :'( left heartbroken by reimei. Will he be able to get over this? R&R! thankss!!**


	17. Life Goes On, Mission to the Real World

**CH. 17! though its a bit short :\ srry if it is but yeaa...the next one is a bit longer :) so enjoy!**

**Chapter Seventeen: Life Goes On, Mission to the Real World**

The next day was as anyone had predicted, almost all of the shinigami in Soul Society were busy running around and trying to get things in order from yesterday's damage. The captains had more paperwork handed to them while subordinates had more errands to do. Basically, everyone had a job.

Hitsugaya was not happy on many circumstances. First of all, he was stuck at his desk for half of the day already since he woke up. As soon as he was done breakfast, a mountain of paperwork had magically appeared on his desk. When he was half through with it, another one magically appeared, courtesy of Matsumoto who left in a hurry to do more deliveries. Secondly, he was dead bored sitting at his desk and continuously sign and manage paperwork. He was surprised his pen didn't run out of ink yet. Third of all, he just had too much on his mind to focus on working.

At the thought, Hitsugaya could've sworn he felt his heart actually drop and stopped beating. The pen he held hovered above the sheet of paper, unmoved by his hand. He let out a sigh, placed the pen down gently and rubbed his temples to stop a migraine from coming. Running a hand through his snow white hair, he found himself staring blankly at the paperwork in front of him with the same thought lingering in his mind.

With a tiring sigh, he rose up from his chair and began to exit his office. He needed a break from all this work or else, he would end up with a major headache.

**Matsumoto POV**

I saw taicho exit his office, he looked pretty stressed. My eyes softened, he was still taking her departure hard but I can't really blame him. Reimei really did mean something to taicho and I'm glad. He found someone special but that someone just had to leave. To be honest, I'm still angry at Reimei for leaving us like that, after all the time we've been together.

I sighed, maybe I was just overreacting because taicho seems a bit more colder and anti-social. With Reimei around, there was a difference in his normal personality though probably no one could tell. I turned around to head off to another division to make another delivery, I just hope that he doesn't shut himself off from other people completely.

**Time Skip: Two Months Later After the Bount Arc**

**Normal POV**

Months rolled by and Soul Society had once again recovered from another attack. Now they can finally find time to focus on Aizen's plans and begin to prepare what he might try to do. Hitsugaya was in his office as usual doing paperwork. Everything was eerily silent in the room but he didn't mind, he definitely didn't want any noise to disturb him. Finishing the last of the paperwork, he placed his pen down with a tiring sigh and massaged his hand from the cramps. A lot has happened in Soul Society, too much for his own taste. Especially when he still had a lot on his mind. Yes, even after those two months and all the excitement, he still had the same thoughts.

But how can he forget them? Sure some people have because they haven't got the time to know who Reimei really was before her betrayal. He furrowed his brows at the thought of her name, he was still upset she left in such a fashion. And to add to that, he was upset that there wasn't any clues or hints that might lead her to her decision. He was definitely not going to let her off the hook without a good reason.

A knock on the door interrupted him from reminiscing any further.

" Jyuubantai fukutaicho reporting, is the captain present? "

" Come in Matsumoto..." sighed Hitsugaya. The said lieutenant slowly slid the door open and stepped in. With a small bow, she began to speak.

" I was just wondering how you were doing with the paperwork. "

" Fine and if that's all you came here to ask then you're dismissed. "

Matsumoto frowned, noting another habit her taicho had sort of developed. He didn't seem to like talking to anyone for too long anymore. With a huffing sigh of irritation, she continued to speak to the young captain without showing any sign of annoyance.

" Actually, there's a captains meeting that will start shortly. Since I was around the 1st division building, Sou-taicho had requested me to inform you so that he won't have the trouble to send a Hell Butterfly. " Stopping, Matsumoto glanced at her captain to see how he will respond. First his look was thoughtful; hands were folded underneath his chin with his elbows propped on the desk, then with a tiring sigh he rose from his seat and headed out the door. Passing by his lieutenant, he said a word of thanks and then proceeded to flash step to the 1st division.

Matsumoto watched where her captain once stood. He might not know it or at least try not to show it but she could tell that he was thinking about Reimei again. It amazed her how long he held onto that kind of grudge. But its understandable because whether he realized it or not, he was head over heels in love with that raven-violet haired girl.

The 10th division fukutaicho smiled a bit, at least there was some good in this; her uptight taicho finally found that special someone and by the way he's acting, its a definite sign that he won't be hesitant to confess. Well, that's what she hoped. And if he ever does, Matsumoto will never miss it for the world.

**At the Captains Meeting**

" Thank you for gathering here on such short notice. " started off Yamamoto-soutaicho as he stood in front of the two lines of captains, though two individual captains were not present, " But there is no time to waste, we have longed waited for this time to be able to focus on a serious problem. One that we all know very well, " He paused to glance at the captains before speaking again.

" The betrayal of three former captains and a former shinigami member. " The atmosphere tensed a bit as if everyone's hate for the 4 people mentioned has resurfaced all at once.

" Our focus is to decipher what it is that they are planning to do. This issue is later followed up by a recent report that new enemies had appeared in the human world and attacked Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions. " The Sou-taicho paused once again to glance up at the captains of the 13 division. Many surprised faces were amongst them while others seemed curious. Hitsugaya perked up at the issue, wondering if these new enemies were related to Reimei's departure along with the the three captains.

" They call themselves 'Arrancers.' According to the Shinigami Research Institute, they are hollows who had obtained shinigami powers. They are dangerous and powerful. It is believed that Aizen is forming an army. If this goes on any longer, I'm afraid even Kurosaki Ichigo won't have the strength to defend himself. " Sou-taicho raised his wooden cane and slammed it down on the hardwood. The echo from it drew all the attention of the captains present in the room.

" That is why I will be sending a number of shinigamis, including captains to the human world to further investigate and to prepare battle against them. But for now; Hitsugaya-taicho. " At the sound of his name, Hitsugaya became attentive to the Captain-Commander.

" Hai, Sou-taicho. "

" You will be the first to lead a group of shinigamis to the human world, seeing as how we still need some of the Gotei 13 captains to remain present if any assault from Aizen is made. "

" Hai, I understand. " Yamamoto-soutaicho nodded towards the young captain.

" Gather your men who will be accompanying you and leave immediately. That is all, dismissed!"

On that note, all the captains filed out of the division and headed back to whatever they were doing. Hitsugaya immediately sped back to his division to round up a few shinigamis who had time on their hands, starting with his lieutenant. He soon found Matsumoto just exiting a room with a few more folders in her hands.

" Matsumoto! " The orange haired women stopped and turned to her captain.

" Hai taicho? "

" We're going to the human world to do some investigating work. Gather up whoever has the time to join us and I'll meet you at the gate. "

" Hai! " Matusmoto happily ran off to complete her given task while Hitsugaya sped off to the gate.

A few moments later, Matsumoto had showed up with Renji, Rukia, Ikakku, and Yumichika. Sighing, Hitsugaya briefed them what they were going to do there and finally they sped off into the gate.

**Meanwhile in Hueco Mundo**

" I assume everything went well with the visit to the human world, Ulquiorra. " Spoke Aizen as he sat upon his throne.

" Of course.. " drawled the paled skinned Arrancer that stood below him. The rest of the room was filled with shadowed figures, all of which were below Aizen's throne. But two stood beside Aizen, showing that they were of higher leagues. One was former 9th division captain while the other was a female figure with long raven-violet hair, dark misty violet eyes and was adorned in the standard coloured arrancer outfit with a few adjustment. It resembled a kimono but with the sleeves cut short, reaching only 2 inches past her elbow. The kimono reached 5 inches above her ankle with a long slit going up along her right leg for easy movement. A pair of black short shorts with fishnets were worn underneath that reached to her mid thighs. A white fishnet was worn from above her ankle to two inches under her knee with white strapped one inch heeled sandals. To finish the look, her kimono was adorned with a black phoenix near the bottom of the kimono and her hair was held up partially with white chopsticks with her two zanpakuto strapped in their respective places with a black sash.

" Well, what did you recover this time? " asked Aizen to Ulquiorra. The arrancer slowly removed his left eye from his socket and crushed it into small green specks. The specks formed into images that replayed like a video. Aizen and the rest of the occupants in the room watched silently. Once it was done, Aizen chuckled before speaking.

" Well done. We'll be checking up regularly with the shinigami representative. And that girl... Her powers might come to use later on. Dismissed. " The arrancers all filed out and the room was left empty and quiet. That was until the raven-violet girl spoke up.

" Aizen-sama, "

" Hm? "

" Do you suspect that Soul Society would be sending back up? "

" Most likely they will. Why is that Tanaka-san? "

" If so, then may I do the regular 'check ups? ' The Espadas need all the time they can get to become stronger. "

" Always too generous Tanaka-san. But if that's what you wish. "

" Arigatou Aizen-sama. " Reimei bowed humbly to him and flash stepped away but not before stealing a glance at Tousen. Though it might have been her imagination, she could've sworn that he was giving her a dirty look. Almost as if he was suspecting something.

**Okay now THAT was a hint in the end wink wink wht do u think will happen to reimei? R&R! Thankss!**


	18. Take the Note and Pass it On

**Vietvn: ch 18! just finished it omgg this is probably the only episode i havta look off for reference arghh but its not the whole episode word for word (epi. 125 i think Oo) I hope u enjoy this:)**

**Chapter Eighteen: Take the Note and Pass it On**

" Oh ho ho, if it isn't Hitsugaya-taicho and company! " sang Urahara as the gate to Soul Society opened up in the middle of his shop. Out stepped the shinigami team consisting for Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Ikkaku, Renji, Rukia and Yumichika.

" I've been expecting you so I've made gigais for you all. " smiled Urahara, gesturing towards the dolls that laid slumped against the wall, " Now all of you will need a cover-up identity so I've decided to enroll you into Ichigo's high school as transfer students. "

" Oh mann...We have to wear that stupid uniform..Again! " sighed Renji.

" What's so bad about them? " questioned Matsumoto.

" Nothing, its just that they look ridiculous. "

" If it's how you say it is then I'm afraid that'll ruin my image.. " sighed Yumichika.

" Would you quit yapping and get into your gigais, we need to head to Karakura high as soon as possible. " commanded Hitsugaya, already standing by the door, in his gigai and dressed in the high school uniform that was provided by Urahara. Everyone nodded and did what Hitsugaya had done previously. Once they were finished, they headed towards the school.

**Arriving at Karakura High**

The team of shinigamis in disguise walked down the crowded hallway filled with students. As they passed by, they continuously received wondering stares from the other students.

" This is so awkward, why are they looking at us like that? " asked Ikkaku annoyingly.

" Maybe its because you're carrying a wooden sword with you. " pointed out Matsumoto. Indeed, the 11th division shinigami was trying to keep his wooden sword up from his belt.

" Well this holster isn't helping! " retorted Ikkaku, " And who gave a stupid rule of not being able to carry around a real sword? "

" It's the law in this world and while we're here, we need to obey them. " pointed out Renji smartly, a pause came from the red head as he turned his gaze to the busty women walking along side him, " Matsumoto that uniform doesn't look right on you... " Truth be told, there was a little too much exposure in some areas...

" What? I don't think so. And I can't believe you would hate these uniforms, I think they're cute. "

" Would you shut up and just walk quietly? " snapped Hitsugaya, hands shoved in his pockets as he briskly walked down the hallway while ignoring the stares. Finally, the group of shinigami stopped in front of a door.

" Is this the room? "

" Yeah, now open it already. " They slid open the door to find a bandaged up Ichigo erasing the chalkboard in the unlit classroom. The only source of light was coming from the windows. The presence of others made Ichigo turn to the source.

" Mornin' Ichigo! How ya been? "

A moment of silent and realization finally dawned on him.

" R-Renji? Ikkaku? Yumichika? Rangiku-san? T-Toushiro? "

" It's Hitsugaya-taicho to you. " A vein pulsed on the side of the young captain's forehead as all the shinigamis sauntered into the room.

" What are you guys doing here? " asked Ichigo, placing the eraser down.

" Orders from above, " Replied Renji, " We're here to investigate a little more about these Arrancers and to prepare battle. "

" Arran...What? "

" Geez, this idiot... " sighed Renji, " Not even knowing who he fought against... "

" IDIOT! They are the ones that beat you to a pulp the other day! " exclaimed a silhouette from the windows. Everyone turned their attention to the new comer who had their arms crossed by the window. As the lights dimmed down around the figure, it was revealed to be none other than Rukia. Ichigo was more than baffled to see her.

" R-Rukia?! " Without a word, Rukia charged in from her place and kicked him square in the jaw.

" HEY WHAT WAS THAT FOR?! " shouted Ichigo but was rudely interrupted when Renji took a hold of him and Rukia again, proceeded to slap him numerous times.

" No time to talk, you're coming with me! " commanded Rukia as she slipped on her glove and grabbed Ichigo by the top of his head, causing his soul to drag out of his body in tow. The two rushed out of the classroom through the window and disappeared, leaving the group of shinigamis with the limp body of Ichigo.

" I knew something like this was gonna happen... " sighed Matsumoto.

" Tch, this guy always needs looking after... " agreed Renji.

" Well, if its someone like Ichigo who needed a beating for getting his ass kicked then I would've done it too. " pointed out Ikkaku.

" Really? He looked pretty excited about it even though he was sullen. "

" What?! He didn't look excited at all! "

The argument continued on amongst Yumichika, Renji, Matsumoto and Ikkaku. One after the other they just kept adding their two cents into the topic. Standing off in front was a very annoyed looking white-haired captain who wished he had brought a roll of duct tape with him. The noise and the unnecessary conversation going on was about to drive him crazy. He couldn't take it anymore so with one annoyed look, he turned to the babbling idiots behind him.

" Can you guys just shut up?! "

" What just happened to Kurosaki?? "

Ceasing the conversation, the group of shinigami finally noticed the small group of students all the way at the back of the classroom. Listening in on their conversation, they weren't too secretive about what they had just saw and apparently also, what they're first impression is of the group.

" Rukia-san just suddenly appeared at the window and beat him up, that's all I know...Is he dead? He's not moving. "

" I don't know but those people are scary. The one with red hair has tattoos! "

Hearing this, Renji clenched his teeth in annoyance, still holding onto the limp body of Ichigo.

" Don't mind them Renji, it's just humans running their mouths. " reassured Ikkaku coolly to the red head who was currently glaring in the general direction of the student. As he said this, they continued on their criticism.

" A blonde with big tits! A silver haired middle schooler! A bob-haired pretty boy! And a bald dude carrying a wooden sword! " Bald, to Ikkaku, was probably the number one taboo word for him so naturally, he snapped. With a menacing aura surrounding him, he turned around to face the group of high schoolers in the back. An evil grin plastered on his face.

" Whichever punk just called me bald better get his ass over here... " Ikkaku threatened as he pulled out his sword. Dropping Ichigo's body, Renji stood beside the enraged shinigami and repeated the words he once told him.

" Don't mind them Ikakku, it's just humans running their mouths. " Without giving a care, Ikkaku started to spaz out.

" Shut up and let me at 'em!!! "

" I will also lend my services, Ikakku! " exclaimed Yumichikia valiantly.

" I'll help! " chimed in Renji.

Trying to maintain his sanity, Hitsugaya was left to only mutter to himself at how idiotic they were and silently pleading for someone to take over for him.

**A bit of fastforwarding...**

After a chaotic day with all the shinigami showing up suddenly, Ichigo finally had a chance to relax. Kicking out most of the shinigamis from his house, he was left to only deal with one. Though it was just only one, it didn't change the fact that it wouldn't be as bothersome.

" Rukia! Hurry up with the shower! "

" Shut up! I'll take as long as I want! "

" You're going to waste the hot water! "

" I don't waste it, I lavish in it! Now let me lavish in it! "

Ichigo growled as he stood outside of the bathroom door, clearly annoyed that its been at least 45 mins since Rukia had gotten into the shower.

" Rukia!! "

" ICHIGOO!!! " came another voice only belonging to his father, " ITS NOT POLITE TO RUSH A LADY IN A SHOWER!!! "

" BUT SHE'S TAKING TOO DAMN LONG! " An argument between father and son ensued in the middle of the hallway at this point. As the two shouted their heads off in the hallway, they didn't notice that the raven haired girl had already slipped out of the bathroom and headed towards Ichigo room in hopes of getting a good night's sleep.

**Meanwhile at Orihime's House**

While all the activity was happening inside the small house, a certain 10th division captain wasn't joining in on them. Instead, he was sitting outside on the rooftop staring aimlessly at the full moon in the peace of night.

Hitsugaya sighed for what seems to be the 20th time that day, finding himself reminiscing in thought about really old events. But he couldn't help it, his mind was still questioning itself why someone would allied themselves with an evil force and go against their own friends.

He was frustrated time after time for not getting an answer which usually leads him to small headaches here and there but those kind of pain go away after a while. There was still a stinging pain in his heart. The young captain never would have thought that this kind of betrayal would hurt him this bad. But considering that it was a person who he trusted, he guessed that's what to be expected.

" Taicho! " called out a sing song voice whom he knew too well of.

" What is it Matsumoto? " he sighed in response.

" Awww just checking up on you, don't have to make me feel unwanted. " pouted the lieutenant.

" I'm fine Matsumoto, I'm not a kid. " Hitsugaya responded, annoyed. A moment of silence passed between the two before Matsumoto's carefree smile turned a bit serious.

'_He's probably thinking about her again. He's always spacing out nowadays though he tries not to show it. ' _Figuring it was best to leave him to himself, Matsumoto gave one last silent sigh before turning to head back downstairs.

" If you're hungry, you're more than welcome to come down and grab something to eat. " And with that, the lieutenant disappeared.

'_Not like there's anything normal to eat anyways. ' _ thought Hitsugaya as he pictured some bizarre food Orihime had invented. Canned tuna fish with peanut butter and almonds as desserts...He shivered at the thought. It amazed him that people like Orihime and his lieutenant can stand eating that stuff without being food poisoned.

A sudden jolt of reiatsu knocked him out of his sub conscious. The power from it was so great, no one could miss it for a mile. Hitsugaya's shocking aqua eyes sharpened and he carefully surveyed the area. Concentrating on the spirit force, he managed to identify 4 or 5 of them.

'_Arrancers! Its them! ' _

" Taicho! " came Matsumoto's voice again except this time, she appeared in her shinigami robes. Popping a gikon pill into his mouth, the captain immediately exited out of his gigai and told it to stay in a safe place.

" Matsumoto, get ready, " At the tone of his voice, the lieuntenant immediately went into a defensive stance as she watched her captain unsheath his sword, " They're here. "

As soon as the cloud passed by the moon, casting its rays onto the two shinigamis, 2 Arrancers, dressed in the standard white robe with broken masks stood in front of them.

'_They're fast! '_Matsumoto thought, alarmed. One was tall and slim while the other was larger in size and stood shorter than the first one. It was a stare down before the tallest arrancer spoke in a pleasant voice.

" Nice to meet you. " In the blink of an eye, he disappeared only to reappear in a sword lock with the young captain.

" Taicho! " exclaimed Matsumoto but before she could assist him, the second arrancer blocked her way. This caused her to jump back a few feet away from Hitsugaya.

" I am Arrancer Eleven, Shawlong. "

" Jyuubantai-taicho, Hitsugaya Toushiro. " After the brief introduction, the two broke away from the sword lock and jumped over to another rooftop where it was spacious enough to start a fight. Each opponent stood on opposite ends, glaring each other down.

" Jyuubantai-taicho? Oh my, my how wonderful. " chuckled Shawlong, amused, " It seems like I hit the jackpot. "

" No, you're probably the biggest loser yet. " replied Hitsugaya as misty blue reiatsu started to erupt around him.

**Fastforward(You know wht happens if u watched the episode)**

The tough battle still raged on as all the remaining shinigami struggled to fight off their opponents. Both Hitsugaya and Renji had gone into bankai mode long ago but they still didn't get the upper hand. Time took its tole on both shinigamis as they tried to steady their breathing, having to maintain bankai in a long period of time.

Hitsugaya panted as he stared down his opponent, who remained untouched. The 10th division captain on the other hand, was bleeding in a couple of places with a single stream of blood running down at the side of his head.

" A captain in bankai and this is all? I'm disappointed. " mocked Shawlong. Hitsugaya clenched his teeth. Now that he thought of it, it was rather pathetic. Here he was, in bankai; the fullest extent of his powers while his opponent didn't even release his zanpakuto yet. This was proven to be harder than he thought.

**Meanwhile...**

" Tanaka-san, you're very aware that Grimmjaw Jaggerjack is in the human world along with a group of lower numbered Arrancers. "

" Hai, would you want me to retrieve them? " A chuckle was the response, the female shinigami waited patiently for the man in front of her to suggest something else.

" Investigate. Just like you predicted, Soul Society had sent their own shinigami squad to the human world. As of now, its most likely the group of Arrancers are fighting them. "

" I'll go, as you wish. " replied Reimei, bowing deeply before flash stepping away. Just when she was about to step outside of the fort and into the white deserts of Hueco Mundo, Reimei stopped.

'_This is my chance to pass off some information to the shinigami squad to the Captain Commander but I gotta find some way to do that without them knowing it was me. ' _

"_**Think of a way to disguise yourself somehow..."**_

_**"**__ Or just wear a mask or a cloak...No, actually just wear a cloak. They'll notice your outfit. "_

Agreeing with the black dragon, she hurriedly went to her room and dug around in her closet to find something that resembled a cloak that will cover her face. Succeeding, she pulled out a black shroud with a large hood. Reimei placed the cloak over her white shinigami like outfit and flash stepped. Once she was outside, she opened up a Garganta**(A/n: The rip in the sky where Arrancers n them can come to the real world) **and stepped in.

After she made the long trek of walking through the darkness of the portal, she finally made it through where the image of a city greeted her on the other side. The tore in the sky from the portal resealed itself and she was left to stand above the towering buildings of Karakura town. It was night with a slight breeze which ruffled her hair and the cloak she was wearing.

Reimei closed her eyes in concentration to pinpoint the strong reiatsu that were emitting in various locations**(A/N: this is after they had a limit release and near the end of the fight)**Though all were strong, she wanted to make sure who they belonged to. Depicting each flame, she managed to identify all of them in an almost dreading manner.

'_So they really are here...' _

"_It doesn't really matter, all you gotta do is get the information to them. Just choose a random person. "_

Sighing, she placed the hood on top of her head which covered the upper half of her face well. With one last glance, she raced towards the nearest presence. It soon turns out that Reimei had stumbled upon a badly worn out Ikkaku in the middle of a huge crater. Glancing around, Reimei didn't see the Arrancer he was fighting.

'_Guess he beat 'em. ' _

She jumped down in the crater and walked over to Ikkaku. Kneeling down, she felt his pulse. He was still alive though knocked out from exhaustion. She formed a light blue net of reiatsu and let it settle on top of the unconscious shinigami.

'_I'll just be nice and heal him a bit. '_

"_Softy..."_

The light started to slowly heal the scratches and gashes. After a few minutes, Ikkaku didn't look as bad as when Reimei had first found him. Only a couple of bruises remain visible.

'_He's obviously not gonna be up for a while, might as well find someone else. ' _ Reimei shunpoe'd off to find anyone who might be conscious enough to deliver her news to the Captain-Commander. The raven-violet haired shinigami dashed across the buildings, all in the while keeping track of where the spirit forces are and avoiding one at the same time.

'_C'mon, where the hell is-..' _

She was cut short from thought when she spotted the orange hair shinigami representative. He looked pretty beat up and was in bankai but he was still awake. Reimei slowed to a stop, glanced around one last time before jumping down silently in front of Ichigo. Startled, the orange hair shinigami held up his zanpakuto and glared hard at Reimei.

" Who are you?! Another one of the Arrancers?! " He demanded.

" No I'm not. " Answered Reimei, " I'm not here to fight. " Ichigo slowly started to lower his sword but was still suspicious.

" Okay, then who are you? "

" That is something you don't need to know. Not yet. " Reimei slowly made her way towards him, she could sense that he was uneasy so she tried her best to reassure him that she wasn't an enemy.

" Look, I'm here to ask you a favor. "

" A favor? Depends on what it is and why me? "

" It's just to deliver a note to your shinigami friends. I'm asking you because it'll cause trouble for everyone if I gave it myself. " Ichigo took her words into thought, still having a bit of doubt on trusting Reimei. Nonetheless, the cloaked shinigami remain still and quiet, waiting for Ichigo to respond.

Finally with a sigh of defeat, Ichigo glanced straight into the shadowed hood, directly at Reimei's eyes.

" Fine, I'll deliver your note but if its any sort of trick I'll be sure to come after you first. " Reimei chuckled a bit before reaching into the sleeve of her cloak and pulled out a small, neatly folded envelope. She reached out to Ichigo with the note in her hand, waiting for him to take it. Almost hesitantly, he slowly took the note from her.

" Thank you and please give the note to one of the shinigamis from Soul Society; a higher up would be nice... Well, I take my leave. " With that, Reimei shunpoe'd out of sight.

Ichigo stared at the blank white envelope in his hand for a good while. He was starting to have a feeling that this person was a part of something big. But what puzzled him the most was who she really was and what role was she playing?

**With Reimei...**

Reimei had arrived back to Hueco Mundo, directly in front of Las Noches. She sighed while removing her hood and stepping into the large castle-like fort. She made her way to her room, glancing around every so often to see if there was anyone in the halls. The last thing she needed was some interrogation from someone like Ulquiorra or Tousen or maybe even Ichimaru. In fact, she didn't want to see anyone in the building at all because they were still her enemies. Reimei sighed, realizing that avoiding them completely would cause suspicions but associating with them at the same time can lure her further into Aizen's plans more than she wanted. She knew the basic facts already, all she needed to do now is make sure Ichigo delivered the note. That was her ticket out of here.

Reimei rounded the corner and into the first door on the left hallway. She warily opened her door and stepped into the small but spacious room. Once she removed the cloak and tossed it into her closet carelessly, a sudden shuffle in the room was made. Instinctively, Reimei drew out Tsumetai Kaze from her sheath and pointed it directly at the source. But there was nothing to be seen when she glanced around the room. Her amethyst eyes sharply scanned the room, waiting for something to come out. The rays from the moon that was always above the white deserts of the hollow world casted through the window, illuminating shadows in every corner.

After a few minutes, Reimei cautiously lowered her zanpakuto and slowly sheathed it back into its case.

"_Was there something there? "_

_"__**Whatever it was, it's gone now. Don't worry, I'll be sure to keep an eye out..."**_

Reimei sighed, walking over to her couch and sitting on it. She took out the two chopsticks that held up her violet-raven hair, letting it fall freely and ran a hand through it, clearly stressed about her position right now. But her mind was just too tired to sort her confused thoughts out so with regretful glance at the moon, she leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. Sleep enveloped her instantly, washing away all her thoughts and anything from the outside world.

Including the soft padding of footsteps leading away from her bedroom door.

**Gahh! Afterwards, I promise you something drastic will happen with Reimei and Hitsugaya. I dunt wanna end up cliche-ing it too much, sum fic make their characters fall in love too fast :\ that i dunt rele like, dunt seem reasonable. Plz R&R :)**


	19. Chime

**Vietvn: Okayy a few things to clear up. I CANNOT follow the bleach story line at all. I incorperated some events in there but not all cuz it doesn't work out with my taste SOO, I'm sure u all kno that Ichigo leaves to train with the Vizards for a while n then comes bak to fight the arrancers who come wen Hitsugaya was training Ikkaku, Matsumoto and Yumichika while Rukia left with Orihime to Soul society iight? WELL i cant follow all that! It doesnt work out. So during my sonfic 'Hate that i love you' (read it first if ya dont get wht i mean now) lets assume that at that time, Ichigo had left to train wit the Vizards for a while now n came bak a few days earlier cuz thas the only way it'll work out. I need Ichigo present in the story. this chapter, Rukia leaves wit Orihime to Soul Society. U follow?**

**Chapter Nineteen: Chime**

" Toushiro! Aren't you listening?! "

The white haired captain jerked his head towards the front of the class. He had been gazing out the window for a long while and he hadn't noticed the teacher was calling his name continuously. Blinking, he stared confusingly at the women that stood in front of the class. All eyes were on him.

" For the 15th time, what is the answer to this question? " asked the teacher as she gestured to the chalk board behind her. Hitsugaya glanced at it for a second before answering correctly, which surprised everyone. Baffled, the teacher cleared her throat and turned around to write on the chalk board again.

" Thank you. Now, can anyone tell what are the steps of solving this problem? "

Hitsugaya once again, tuned out the lesson and continued to stare aimlessly outside the window. He rested his head against the palm of his hand with his elbow propped up on the desk.

Ichigo sneaked a glance towards the white haired captain, raising an eyebrow at his odd behavior. Never had he seen the composed shinigami captain so out of it before. It was really abnormal. Rukia, who was seated near him, had also sneaked a worried glance at her superior. Soon, every shinigami in class had their eyes on Hitsugaya. After each of them had concluded in their thoughts that they needed to confront him after class, they proceeded to turn their attention towards the front or to the clock.

Lunch finally came and Hitsugaya couldn't be happier, he finally had some time to be alone and undisturbed. He made his way to the rooftop swiftly, hoping that his spot wasn't taken. Arriving on the roof, he saw no one which relieved him. He walked over to the railing and leaned against it, letting the soft breeze graze against his skin. Sighing, he shut his eyes and was just about to lose himself in his thoughts when the door that lead to the stairs from which he had come from opened.

" Oi, Toushiro. "

Without even glancing behind him, he knew immediately who the voice belonged to. But judging by the many other footsteps accompanying it, he was sure that the whole shinigami squad had arrived.

" What? " sighed Hitsugaya irritably.

" Taicho.." spoke Matsumoto worriedly, " You've been acting...different lately. "

" What do you mean? "

" You've been spacing out a lot and you're not focused at all. " replied Matsumoto.

" Look Toushiro, I might've not known you for a long time but at least I can tell the difference between your normal attitude and an out of character one. " Ichigo spoke up, noticing Matsumoto was hesitant about asking him.

" It's Hitsugaya-TAICHO...for the last time. " scowled the white haired shinigami captain, " And besides, there's nothing bothering me if that's what you're thinking. "

" But there IS something! " retorted Matsumoto. Hitsugaya sighed again, annoyed. He turned around to face the group of shinigami, a scowl clearly written on his face.

" There's nothing wrong with me Matsumoto so you can stop worrying. "

" It's about her isn't it? " pried Matsumoto in a soft voice. Hitsugaya was taken aback by her sudden question. His mouth went dry and he had nothing to counter back. Ichigo looked at Matsumoto questioningly and then noticed he wasn't the only one. Ikkaku, Yumichika, Renji, and Rukia were all baffled by what Matsumoto had said. The 10th division lieutenant looked long and hard at her captain as if testing him if he denies it or not. Regaining his composure, Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes slightly.

" Matsumoto, you have no business to bring it up here. " He said lowly to her in almost a growl, " Now just drop the subject and leave it there."

Matsumoto gritted her teeth a bit, she wanted to tell him straightforward that he was obviously in love with Reimei and that he was just trying so hard to deny it because she wasn't here anymore. Ichigo and the rest of the group were still confused as ever. The awkward silence was starting to get to everyone as both captain and lieutenant stared each other down. Ichigo stuffed his hand in his pocket but surprisingly, he felt something else in there. Pulling his hand out, he dragged out the small note he had received from the mysterious shinigami yesterday after his fight.

' _Right! I forgot to give this to Matsumoto yesterday. Might as well give it to her now to change the subject. _'

Clearing his throat nervously, he caught the attention of the two glaring shinigami.

" Uhh, if you don't mind. I have a note for you guys, I got it yesterday by some stranger when the Arrancers came. " Matsumoto took the note from Ichigo, looking at it quizzically.

" Are you sure it's just not a threat note or something? "

" No, she said it was important and it should go to you guys.. "

" _She?_ "

" Yeah, even though her face was covered, her voice sounded like a girl. " Hitsugaya gestured for the note and Matsumoto handed it over to him. He tore the small envelope open and took out the small slip of paper in it. Flipping it open, he began to scan its contents. As Hitsugaya neared towards the middle of the note, his eyes began to widened.

" It can't be..." were the whispered words the captain could only mutter. This made everyone curious so they leaned in closer to see if they can catch any words from the note. Dropping the note suddenly, Hitsugaya immediately took a hold of Ichigo's collar and forced him at eye level.

" How'd she look like, Kurosaki?! " Alarmed by his demand, Ichigo was confused as ever and tried his best to calm the white haired shinigami down.

" I don't know! She had a cloak on and a hood that covered her face! "

" What did she tell you?! "

" She just told me to give the note to someone of higher ranks!! She didn't give me a damn name!! " Shouted Ichigo, not understanding why Hitsugaya would make such a big deal out of it. Matsumoto picked up the note that had fallen to the ground and scanned it over herself. Her eyes widened also. She turned to her captain who was clearly annoyed with Ichigo for not giving him helpful answers.

" THEN HOW THE HELL DID YOU MEET HER?! "

" I DON'T KNOW SHE JUST CAME OUT OF NOWHERE!! "

" Taicho! Please calm down!! " Matsumoto pleaded. Hitsugaya clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on Ichigo's collar before letting go. Turning away from the group, he muttered lowly,

" Matsumoto, report this to Sou-taicho. I need to think... "

" Hai. " sighed Matsumoto, looking worriedly at her captain as he made his way down the stairs of the roof. Everyone was utterly shocked,baffled,confused as ever and curious to learn more. Ichigo straightened out his shirt and turned to look towards Matsumoto as did everyone.

" What was that all about? " he asked. Matsumoto just sighed, she might as well explain to them what was wrong with Hitsugaya.

" I'll explain after school at your house Ichigo, taicho will be out for a while. "

**With Hitsugaya**

'_ Damn it! It has to be her! Its all in one chain of event that links together. She showed up last night and now this?! There's no doubt. _'

Hitsugaya's mind was racing and his heart was racing. Everything seemed to click together and all his answers were starting to come to him one at a time; Why Reimei left, what might've caused her to leave, and what her intentions were. It all made sense to him now. Hitsugaya found himself on a path from the park. He also noticed that he had stopped directly in front of a clear opening that had a view of the whole town and a setting sun**(A/n: Like in the episode with him n the soccer ball LOL)**

The scenery was so peaceful, it calmed his soul from all the events that were happening all at once. Hitsugaya made his way over the low metal bar and sat down, overlooking Karakura town. Sighing, he felt as if the weight in his heart had been lifted. Now he can clearly reflect on his thoughts without jumping from one question to the other. The first thing that came to mind was the note that Ichigo had gave to him.

**Aizen is planning on killing the Royal family that resides within Soul Society. In doing so, he is using the Hogyoku's powers to create hollows with shinigami powers. This is all part of a forming army by Aizen to overun the shinigami forces. But since the Hogyoku has not fully awakened, he is limited to using it. Once he is finished with that, he is planning on actually creating another Oken. This is done by using 100,000 human souls and finding that large amount of souls resides within Karakura town.**

**This war will be taken place approximately around winter.**

**That is all I've gathered for sure. I hope this will be of use.**

**Ps. I have a feeling Orihime's powers has interested Aizen. She might be captured to use as a part of his plans. Please be careful**

There wasn't a name signed anywhere but Hitsugaya knew it belonged to Reimei. He was sure of it. The memory of her appearing last night gave him the answer**(A/N: Dunno wht im talkin about? its in my songfic :P) **Her eyes were so regretful and saddened that it was like she was telling him silently that she didn't want to do this but it was for everyone's safety. That answered every one of his question that tortured him every day. But the more he thought about this, another question started to form:

What is she going to do now?

**With Matsumoto**

" Hai, Sou-taicho. "

" Are you sure of this? It could be a trap that might be planned to throw us off. "

" No, I certainly do not believe that. "

" Hmm..Very well. Ukitake, please look into this. " The white haired man beside the elder one nodded his head and proceeded to rush back to his research with new information.

" Thank you Lieutenant Matsumoto, you may continue with your duty there. "

" Hai. "

The voice messaging conversation between Matsumoto and the Captain-commander ended. The orange hair lieuntenant closed her phone and sighed as she looked up to meet the stares of the other shinigamis in the room. As Matsumoto was conversing with the Sou-taicho, they had been waiting as patiently as they could for her to finish so that she could explain why Hitsugaya had snapped.

Matsumoto sighed once again and cleared her throat. The other shinigami within Ichigo's room waited anxiously for her to speak.

" As most shinigamis from Soul Society know, there were a series of betrayals when Ichigo rescued Rukia from her execution. Among them was a girl named Tanaka Reimei. At that time, she was staying in the 10th division building and Hitsugaya-taicho developed a sort of crush on her. But he never admit it. When she betrayed Soul Society, he took the news hard and was sensitive about the subject. He's determined to find out why she left and will do anything to get his answers to help him. "

A moment of silence passed through the room, everyone in the room stared wide eyed at Matsumoto. That was, until Ichigo spoke up.

" So Toushiro's in love with Reimei and he thinks that the person who gave me the note was her? "

" Basically. "

" Shinjiraren! ( I don't believe it) The cheeky little bastard's been love sick all this time?! " exclaimed Kon. Ichigo pushed aside the small lion plushie.

" If Hitsugaya-taicho loves Reimei then he should confess! " exclaimed Rukia.

" I know he should! But Reimei had retreated to Hueco Mundo with Aizen, Tousen and Ichimaru. " sighed Matsumoto, " And plus, taicho's still not sure if Reimei returns his feelings. He's sort of scared and shy. "

" I'm sure she would! "

" Yes of course! You should've seen how they acted around each other! " The conversation between the two female shinigamis continued on while the male occupants of the room just sighed and proceeded to have their own conversation about the situation.

" So this Reimei girl used to be a shinigami? " asked Ichigo to Renji.

" Yeah, she went to the academy but we never saw her. She sort of disappeared after she graduated. Reimei was also part of the 2nd division under Yoruichi. "

" Wow, she was that good? "

" We should help out Hitsugaya-taicho! He's been so stressed out lately, I'm not surprised he had white hair so early. " piped up Matsumoto as she butted into the guy's conversation.

" Okay, how do you think we're suppose to do that? We're not even sure if this person really is Reimei that gave Ichigo the note. And if it was, then she's in Hueco Mundo. There's no getting her back. " pointed out Ikkaku.

" Well we could at least try! I bet you anything that those two are in love with each other but the other just doesn't know it! " exclaimed Matsumoto.

" Yes we must help this hopeless love bloom into something beautiful! " added in Yumichika. Ichigo sighed and then noticed a familiar aura coming closer to them.

" Uhh..guys? " The futile attempt to draw the attention of the shinigamis, who were too wrapped up in the conversation, failed miserably. Ichigo tried again, panic slowly rising as he felt the reiatsu grow larger as it neared.

" Guys?! " Still no luck. The window to his room slipped open silently and Ichigo just couldn't take it anymore.

" HEYY!!! " That caught them just in time as a figure perched itself on the ledge of the window. White hair, shocking aqua green eyes, a school uniform and a stoic look on the person's face was all a dead giveaway of who it was. All attention was on the young captain who had so conveniently entered the room.

" Taicho, " Matsumoto spoke out first, greeting her higher up, " I just reported the information to Sou-taicho, he said he would look into it for confirmation and will report back to us as soon as possible. "

" Good. " was the only word he said.

" Taicho, about this- " Matsumoto began but was cut off when Hitsugaya spoke up again.

" We're leaving for Orihime's house. We have a lot of stuff to take care of early the next morning. "

" Hai.." sighed Matsumoto as she followed her captain out the window.

" Wait up! " called out Rukia as she jumped down the window. Matsumoto turned to face the shorter shinigami, a questioning look on her face.

" I'm planning on taking Orihime to Soul Society for a while to train. " Matsumoto nodded and continued to follow Hitsugaya with Rukia trailing behind her. It was a silent walk and Rukia was almost too glad that they had finally made it to Orihime's house after a while. It nearly killed her...Again.

**Next Day In Hueco Mundo...**

Reimei had just stepped out of her room. Right when she woke up, she had decided that it was time to leave Huecon Mundo finally. She carefully sauntered out of her room, the cloak fluttering behind her slightly**(A/N: Looks like the one ANBU ppl where in naruto)**. With a quick look around, she shut the door to her room and flash stepped outside of Los Noches. Surprisingly, she hadn't encountered anyone along the way. Not that she was complaining, it made her job a lot easier. But she might've thought too soon when she noticed that she wasn't outside alone. Glaring ahead, she could make out the lone figure standing in the clear desert sand of Hueco Mundo.

_' Tousen...' _Reimei seethed in her mind,_ ' I knew that bastard suspected me. '_

" You know it is not wise to come crawling back to Soul Society. Your actions come with severe consequences. " He spoke calmly. The raven-violet haired shinigami just scoffed.

" I don't care about my punishment, I was willing to accept it long before I decided to join you, Aizen and Ichimaru. "

" Then allow me to demonstrate your ideal punishment if you are so brave to take it on. " As Tousen drew out his zanpakuto, numerous roars erupted around them and before Reimei could comprehend it, a dozen hollows revealed themselves behind Tousen. Reimei immediately drew out Tsumetai Kaze and held it defensively in front of her.

" Prepare yourself, Tanaka Reimei. " Without warning, Tousen had flash stepped in front of Reimei and brought his sword down on her. Luckily, she had managed to avoid the blow by holding up her own zanpakuto. Jumping away from the former 9th division captain, she called out her zanpakuto.

" Blow them away, Tsumetai Kaze! " With a quick swipe to follow her command, wind erupted from the blade and blew towards Tousen, "Kamaitachi! " The wind managed to scratch Tousen on the arm before he jumped away to avoid any more damages. The fight continued on with the two shinigami blocking each other every time but then it all changed when Tousen did a kido spell.

" Hadō sanjyuu-ichi: shakkahō! " A red fire ball made of energy shot towards Reimei. Caught by surprise, she barely made it out of the way. The energy blast had instead, hit one of the many hollows that were slowly surrounding the two shinigami in a ring. It roared in pain before disintegrating. As if the defeated hollow was a trigger, the rest of the hollows charged to attack the female shinigami one at a time. Reimei turned around just in time to slice a hollow in half before it closed it's jaws around her. As more and more hollows started to attack, Reimei was soon overwhelmed by the number. To make things even harder, Tousen had taken the time to attack her at the same time.

The surprise attack resulted a deep gash on Reimei's shoulder. She winced as blood spurted out of the newly cut wound but couldn't stop to think about it as more hollows took to the opportunity to attack her full force.

" Justice will always be served on those who choose to betray their comrades, especially those who double cross. " Reimei ignored the comment from Tousen and continued to fend off the hollows but soon she grew tired from the wound. Knowing that she won't make it if she didn't get rid of ALL the hollows at one time, she chose to release her bankai.

" Bankai! Aiiro Soten no Tsumetai Kaze! " The blade froze and shattered itself into small white feathers. As the feathers regrouped, they formed a new sword and a fan. Wasting no time, she took the sword and the fan as a chain began to connect them together on each end.

" Arctic Whirlwind Freeze Over! " She whipped the fan out towards the group of hollows and began to direct the chain around in circles. As soon as the end of the fan grazed each of the hollows, ice froze them over and they were soon shattered into pieces. Through the mist of shattered ice, Tousen stood behind what's left of the hollow wall.

" It seems you're willing to put up a fight and resist. Then I shall break you. " Holding up his zanpakuto, Tousen called out his command, "Shishi wo tsubusu yo, Suzumushi(smash his limbs)" Suddenly, numerous amounts of blades rained down above Reimei. Eyes widened, Reimei had no where to run. Quickly, she held her sword horizontally above her.

" Ice Dome! " Ice poured out on each side of the sword and shielded Reimei from the hordes of blade raining down on her. She flinched suddenly when the blades penetrated the ice shield but stopped inches away from her face. A cloud of sand surrounded her entire area and acting quickly, she used it as coverage to strike Tousen. Flash stepping in front of him suddenly, she managed to slice his arm. Blood gushed out of the wound and the captain jumped back, gripping it slightly.

" I suggest you get out of my way before I end up cutting it off completely. " seethed Reimei.

" I'm afraid I cannot allow that. " Reimei clenched her teeth and charged towards him. It was an intense battle, swords were clashing but they were blocked continuously. It was minutes, maybe even hours before both opponents pushed each other back. Reimei had ended up with a new gash on her stomach and a thin scratch running down her arm. Tousen however, had only scratches on his arms. The only severe wound he had was the one right across his chest and right arm. Reimei was worn out completely while Tousen had managed to steady his breathing.

Ice covered a large portion of their fighting area from Reimei's attacks, giving the surrounding a glimmering effect.

" You have managed to put up a fight this long, maybe I should just send you on your way. Your wounds will eventually kill you. " As Tousen held up his zanpakuto, Reimei blinked in confusion and prepared herself for what's coming but that proved to be useless as the former 9th division captain called out a command.

" Nake, Suzumushi.(Chime, Pure Insects, Bell Bug) " A shrilling cry echoed throughout the white deserts of Hueco Mundo. It overwhelmed Reimei as she collasped on her knees, gripping her ears with clenched teeth in hopes of blocking out the sound but it was no use. Her mind throbbed in pain as the cry continued, she was sure that she would end up going deaf since she could not hear her own scream. Finally, she felt her conscious slip and she plunged into darkness.

**Woww! Reimei's been caught:O n Hitsugaya's a bit on edge! Wht will happen next?! R&R plz:D**


	20. Hiding a 'Fugitive'

**Vietvn: Weee! Chapter twenty:D **

**Chapter Twenty: Hiding a 'Fugitive' **

It was early morning and like Hitsugaya promised, there was work to be done. After Orihime had left with Rukia to Soul Society the other night, she left the care of her household to Hitsugaya and Matsumoto. As the young captain trudged downstairs to find something to eat, he couldn't help but wonder if the reports they had made to the Captain-Commander were confirmed. Well, he was sure that he'll find out today, as soon as he wakes up Matsumoto.

Taking a quick glance into the refrigerator, he found nothing remotely edible looking to eat. Rolling his eyes, he slammed the door shut and proceeded to walk back to the sleeping quarters of the house, searching for only one room in particular. Once reaching his destination, he knocked the door a couple of times. Waiting for an answer, he impatiently tapped his foot with his arms crossed. It was still quiet in the room, signaling there was no movement.

Hitsugaya knocked on the door again except louder this time. He paused and waited but still no answer. A vein soon grew on his temple and he proceeded to pummel the door with his fist.

" OI!! MATSUMOTO!! GET UP!! " He paused and listened for any movement. A shuffle, thumps, and a few incoherent words were made before the door opened to reveal a tired looking 10th division lieutenant.

" Nani taicho? Why so early... " whined Matusmoto, stifling a yawn at the same time as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. Hitsugaya only stood crossed armed, a slight scowl on his face.

" I told you yesterday that we'll be getting up early. "

" ...Really? " Hitsugaya felt like smacking his forehead but he resisted the urge to do so. Instead, he sighed frustratingly and turned around.

" Just get ready, I expect you to be downstairs in 5 minutes. "

" ...Hai... " sighed Matsumoto sleepily as she stumbled back into the room.

" YOU BETTER NOT FALL ASLEEP! "

Too late. The tired woman had fallen right back on her futon and was out like a light. Hitsugaya's vein pulsed on the side of his head, left eye twitching ever so slightly in annoyance.

'_Why?! Why do I have to be stuck with a lieutenant like HER?! '_

**A few minutes later**

It took a lot of effort to kick the lazy lieutenant out of bed but Hitsugaya managed to do so without wasting half of his day. The two had made it out of the house and were now currently making their way to Urahara's shop. Hitsugaya was told earlier that Urahara had a device that would allow them to communicate directly to Sou-taicho without having to use their cellphones.

When they arrived at the small shop, Urahara greeted them cheerfully, even at such an early hour. The cheerful man ushered the two shinigamis to the back of the shop where they would pick up this device.

What Hitsugaya hadn't expected was that the device was a large screen that took up half of the room.

" Isn't it wonderful? The Sou-taicho himself requested this to be made so there will be an easier means of communication. " Urahara said delightedly as he noticed Hitsugaya's baffled expression. The young captain stared in shock at what was in front of him. It wasn't the technology Soul Society had that baffled him. It was the size in general.

" How the hell are we suppose to get this back to the house?! " Hitsugaya asked once he snapped out of his shocked state.

" Why you carry it of course! " chuckled Urahara cheerfully. Hitsugaya's mouth dropped slightly in disbelief. Guess he should've known that they didn't provide free delivery.

**Many more minutes later...**

With a lot of effort, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto managed to get the large screen back to Orihime's house but not without getting many strange glances. When they reached the house, they had to figure out how to get it to work. That also took a lot of effort before finally they established a connection with Soul Society.

The screen projected a static image before it was replaced with a startled looking member of the technology development department in Soul Society.A few words and the screen once again, switched to the Sou-taicho himself.

" Jyuubantai taicho, Hitsugaya Toushiro and Jyuubantai fukutaicho Matsumoto Rangiku, I'm sure you are aware of the information you had sent back to Soul Society. "

" Yes sir, have there been a confirmation? " asked Hitsugaya. A pause came from the elder man on the screen, a thoughtful look crossing his face before he looked at the both of them dead in the eye.

" Those pieces of information have been proven to be true. It was confirmed by Ukitake, who was investigating the " Daireisho Kairou " and has discovered some clues. This all lead to the very core of the truth behind Aizen's true objectives which you have submitted earlier. A great war **will** ensue this winter concerning the planned assassination of the Royal Family within Soul Society. "

" Then that means... " trailed Hitsugaya but was confirmed of his thoughts with a slight nod from the Sou-taicho.

" Aizen Sosuke is definitely planning on creating another Oken and in doing so, targeting Karakura town for the required number of human souls. You will prepare for battle during your mission in the human world and you should take precautions. I have instructed the Shinigami Research Institute to be able to have a faster limit release procedure if there is a battle between Arrancers. "

" Hai, arigatou Sou-taicho. " replied Hitsugaya bowing slightly.

" But before I take my leave, there are some things I would like to clear. " The Sou-taicho paused before speaking, looking as serious as ever, " Is there a certain source where you've obtained this information? "

Hitsugaya tensed. The atmosphere became eerily quiet. Matsumoto glanced down away from the intense stare of the Sou-taicho. He was all the shinigami's superior, which means its a crime to lie to him. But this situation was tough to decide, they couldn't simply tell him that they had received it from a stranger in a cloak. That would be too suspicious. Then again, Matsumoto really didn't have a say in this. It all depended on her taicho, it was best to not say anything anyways. After a long pause, Hitsugaya drew in a breath and spoke firmly.

" Kurosaki Ichigo was fortunate to obtain the information. He was the one who passed it onto us so we don't know the source either. I'll be sure to ask him later on if that's the case. " A thoughtful look crossed the Sou-taicho's features. He gave Hitsugaya one long, hard look before speaking.

" Very well. Make sure the other shinigamis are aware of this. "

" I'll make sure of that. " offered Matsumoto as she began to walk out the door.

" Hai, I'll go too. "

" Matte Hitsugaya-taicho. " The young captain halted in his steps, " There's someone who's been wanting to speak to you for a while now. " As he turned around, a familiar figure stood in front of the screen now. One he had known from his childhood.

" You're..."

**Meanwhile with Ichigo**

Ichigo strolled down the streets of Karakura town, deep in thoughts. He had managed to control his inner hollow but keeping it for a long period of time was still hard for him. 11 seconds wouldn't exactly last him in a battle against an Arrancer. He needed a way to improve but constantly fighting against Hiyori with it proved to be a pointless method with no changing results. Ichigo sighed, frustrated with himself that he couldn't last more than 30 seconds. He found himself wandering back to where he had first fought the Arrancers. The open field surrounded by trees still had the large crater situated in the middle of it.

Ichigo glanced down at it, still lost in thought. He hadn't really intended on leaving the vizards early but he figured he was getting tired of not making progress after going through the Hollowification process.

Not realizing it, the dark, cloud-like wisps of black started to creep from the corner of Ichigo's eyes. But before it reached his iris, a melodic chirp sounded within the area. Ichigo jerked out of his thoughts, the black wisps retreating back. He looked around the area, not seeing anything but still hearing the melodic chirp.

'_Weird...I don't see any birds. ' _ Ichigo continued to search around and finally, came across a faintly glowing bird perched on a branch not far away from where he was. Ichigo blinked, confused.

'_That's no bird..Birds don't glow. Let alone radiate a strong spirit force, how come I never sensed it before? ' _

Slowly but cautiously, Ichigo walked towards the bird who in turn, watched him. When he was a few metres away from it, the bird chirped once and hopped off the branch. Ichigo could clearly see its features now. It was a phoenix about the size of a peacock. It was tinted in an icy blue colour that was barely visible and could be mistaken for white. It's long tail feathers trailed behind it, they were coloured in a sky blue colour, much more vibrant than the rest of its body. On top of its head were two feathers that looked like they were gelled back except the very end, it was slightly curved up**(A/n: Like a Mandarin Duck, dunno how it looks like, google it : P)**

The phoenix took flight and landed on another tree branch, a few metres ahead of Ichigo and waited as if beckoning him to follow. Getting the message, Ichigo began to trail after it as it took flight again. It lead Ichigo into the depths of the forest and after several metres away from the clearing, the phoenix stopped completely and vanished.

'_Great, stupid bird got me lost. ' _Scowled Ichigo as he glanced around the shadowed part of the forest. Finally spotting the small light from the clearings again, Ichigo began to head back but then sensed a faint reiatsu. Stopping in his tracks, he turned back around again. There was no phoenix but the reiatsu still glimmered. It was very faint so out of curiosity, Ichigo concentrated a bit harder to keep the spirit force clear in his mind for him to follow.

It lead him around a bush as it grew stronger. When it was as strong as he could get it to be, he had found himself staring down at a motionless figure. On closer inspection, it was a body. A bit freaked out, Ichigo looked around to see if there was anyone else around the area.

'_Okay...This sorta looks like a murder scene... '_ Sensing that it was only him and the motionless body, he had no choice but to inspect who it was. Bending down slightly, he reached out with a shaky hand to remove the cloak that covered the person. Ichigo grasped the fabric and with one yank, it revealed to be an unconscious, badly wounded girl.

Shocked, Ichigo could do nothing but stare as he noticed the girl was cladded in the white Arrancer outfit. Her zanpakutos not far away from her.

'_An Arrancer?! ' _Ichigo looked closer, there was no sign of a broken mask, ' _No, its not one. So it must be one of those shinigamis that joined that Aizen guy...Reimei! It's her, it has to be her! ' _Without thinking, Ichigo carefully picked up the smaller girl's body. He noticed that the ground where she laid on was covered in dry blood.

' _I have to help her but I heard that Orihime's gone with Rukia. I can't exactly let Toushiro know yet, he'll freak. So I'll have to turn to Urahara. ' _Reaching over to pick up her zanpakuto, he only managed to grasp the light blue one. The black one, however, forced his hand back as it shocked him with powerful reiatsu.

'_Great, how am I suppose to hold it? Ahh screw it, I have to treat her before she dies. ' _ Placing the cloak around her again, he sprinted out of the forest and towards the Urahara shop.

Once he reached there, he bursted through the traditional Japanese sliding door of the store. He looked around and spotted the shopkeeper's assistant, Tessai, sweeping the floors.

" OI! Tessai! " exclaimed Ichigo. The bulky man glanced up with a puzzling look at Ichigo, then directed his attention to the body Ichigo was carrying in his arms.

" Ichigo! What're you doing here?! And who's that? " Tessai asked, placing the broom to one side.

" That's exactly why I'm here. Where's that perverted old man?! "

" Why right here Kurosaki-san! " announced Urahara in his usual cheerful self as he came from out back, fanning himself, " What seems to be the problem? "

" Take a wild guess at who I found... " replied Ichigo, gesturing to the body in his arms. Urahara snapped his fan shut, a serious look washed over his face as he stepped forward. He reached out and pulled back the hood that covered the person's face and was shocked to find that it belonged to Reimei.

" Bring her to the back, we need to treat her immediately. " Urahara turned around and Ichigo followed suit with Tessai. He gently placed her on the futon. He removed the black cloak from Reimei's body, revealing the white Arrancer clothing that was ripped across the stomach where a deep gash was.

" Where'd you find her? " asked Urahara as he eyed Ichigo. Tessai had began to heal her wounds as they spoke.

" I found her in the forest where I first met the Arrancers. She was badly wounded, I don't know how many days she's been there. " Ichigo replied, placing the light blue zanpakuto against the wall. Urahara looked thoughtful and glanced down at Reimei's unconscious form.

" She must've got into a fight somehow with one of the Arrancers. Reimei was the one who delivered that message to me right? " asked Ichigo, also looking down at Reimei.

" ...Most likely. And this might be the cause of her injuries. She was suspected and was caught. " A moment of silence swept over the atmosphere. That was, until a redhead came bursting through the door.

" Oi, Urahara-san! Is there anything to-... " Renji was cut off when he surveyed the room. His mouth slightly dropped when he saw who was lying on the futon unconscious.

" R-Reimei! "

" Yea, " spoke up Ichigo who was sitting over on the side with Urahara, " I found her unconscious in the woods. She was badly injured and was on the verge of death from blood loss. "

" B-But! She's an enemy! Why would they leave one of their comrades behind if she got into a fight here?! " Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance with a slight frown on his face.

" She isn't an enemy. She was the one who gave me the message to pass onto you guys, telling what Aizen was up to. So Reimei can't be an enemy because its just like you said, why would the Arrancers leave one of their kinds here to die which proves it. And plus, there wasn't a fight. If there was, we would've sensed it a mile away. "

Renji opened his mouth to retort to the orange haired shinigami but then closed it knowing that he was right, Ichigo had countered all the points he had assumed. He couldn't argue with him any longer about Reimei's status. He glanced at Reimei, a thoughtful look crossing his features. Sighing in defeat Renji turned around to leave.

" If I were you, I wouldn't want Soul Society or Hitsugaya-taicho to find out about this. They would freak. "

" ...I know. "

**Hawwww :O keepin secrets from Hitsugaya:( makes me curious about wht happens if he DOES find out :D me to kno n u to find out wht happens next so stayy tunedd!! R&R plz n thanks:D**

**A side note, its the holidays so merry christmas n a happy new year to all y'all! I mite not be able to update evry week like i usually do soo just to warn u kk? but that doesnt mean imma leave u hangin so dunt wrry i'll get bak to it as soon as i can :)**


	21. Black and Blue Dragons

**Vietvn: WOWW...took me a while to get this up. Srry bout the long delay cuz of the holiday break but I mite not update AGAIN for a long while cuz of exams...again srry **

**Chapter Twenty-One: Black and Blue Dragons**

It's been days since Reimei was brought to Urahara's shop to rest by Ichigo. The shop inhabitants did a pretty good job at hiding Reimei from Ikkaku, Yumichika, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto. Though its been days, Reimei was still recovering from her wounds and had not woken up from her deep slumber yet.

Yoruichi, who had so casually stumbled into the sleeping girl's room one day, was surprised to see Reimei there and immediately confronted Ichigo and Uruhara while they were having tea.

" Where'd you find her?! " she demanded, her cat eyes glaring daggers at the two men. Uruhara smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

" Guess we're getting sloppy at hiding her... " he muttered to Ichigo.

" It's your fault. "

" I asked you a question; where did you find her? " asked the black cat again. Ichigo sighed, the only reason why he was bothering to visit the shop daily was to watch if any other 'unwanted' shinigamis would stop by. That would mean that they might accidentally discover their little secret. And plus, he wanted to make sure Reimei recovered all right.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo answered Yoruichi, " I found her in the forest where we first met the Arrancers. I think it was her zanpakuto that lead me to her. Its been days since I brought her to Uruhara's shop and since then, we've been hiding her from Ikakku, Yumichika, Toushiro and Rangiku-san. "

Yoruichi nodded in thought, taking all of this in.

" I see, Soul Society doesn't know about this either I hope? "

" No, they don't know. " replied Uruhara. The small cat nodded again and sighed.

" Well who else knows? "

" Only the people within these four walls. " replied Uruhara cheerfully.

" Good, we'll just keep it that way then. " Yoruichi concluded. Ichigo sighed at how calmly Yoruichi took it or maybe he was just overestimating everyone's reactions because Hitsugaya has yet to find out. The orange hair shinigami shuddered, when that day comes he'll be sure to get out of the shop before the child prodigy hunts him down.

**With Hitsugaya**

Hitsugaya had just finished training Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika. It was tiring and annoying, and yet he was surprised that he can last for at least three days now. Three days of training those loud idiots and yet not much progress. He let out a long sigh as he strolled down the streets of Karakura town. People were bustling about busily, trying to get where they needed to be. All Hitsugaya wanted to be was somewhere quiet.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked towards the park. Along the way, he let his mind wander into thought. But that soon lead to him thinking of what happened yesterday when he spoke to Hinamori for the first time in a while. It made him furrow his eyebrows, a small frown visible on his features.

_Flashback_

_" You're.."_

_Standing where the Sou-taicho used to be, was Momo Hinamori. Hitsugaya's eyes widened a bit as he slowly turned around to face her. The timid girl glanced down at her feet, not knowing what to say after what she had done to him._

_" Hitsugaya-kun.. " she began quietly. A relieved look was visible in the young captain's eyes as he spoke to his childhood friend._

_" So you've woken up, Hinamori? "_

_Hinamori nodded, still not looking directly at Hitsugaya._

_" Are you sure you're well enough to be walking around? " _

_The fifth division lieutenant glanced up a bit wearily but still flashed a reassuring smile to Hitsugaya, " I'm all better now. " Though Hitsugaya smiled a bit at her reply, he wasn't too convinced by the dark bags that remain under her eyes but he wasn't going to argue with her, at least she was here in the first place._

_Hinamori seemed to have caught on with his unconvinced look so she glanced down sadly at her feet again before speaking quietly, " I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Hitsugaya-kun. I doubted you...And I attacked you. I don't know what was wrong with me. Really, I.."_

_She was cut short when Hitsugaya stopped her with his own reply, " You idiot, I don't care about that anymore. And if I don't care then you shouldn't either. "_

_Hinamori was taken by surprise by Hitsugaya. She didn't think he'll shake it off that easily but was glad that he had at least forgiven her._

_" Hurry up and get back to bed and get rid of those panda eyes. " Relief washed over the lieutenant as tears began to form in her eyes. She was glad that everything was alright between him and her. Hinamori was sure that he would never talk to her again. Glancing down, she wiped away the tears before they spilled down her cheeks._

_" Thank you, Hitsugaya-kun. "_

_Hitsugaya smiled a bit before scoffing, " Besides, you still look like a kid. If you wanna grow up, you need to get more sleep. Take a look at Matsumoto. You'll need sleep for ten years straight if you wanna catch up to her. "_

_Hinamori eyes snapped open at his comment and stared a bit in disbelief before pouting, " Sh-Shut up! Rangiku-san is an exception! Besides, you're not in the position to lecture people about growing, Hitsugaya-kun! "_

_" Hinamori! " The said lieutenant stopped her spazzing with a slight scowl on her face._

_" I'm tired of repeating myself. I'm not Hitsugaya-kun, I'm Hitsugaya-taicho. " Hitsugaya said while smirking. Hinamori's face softened a bit, it was just like old times when he would always tell her that he was a captain. For that, she was grateful._

_" Yeah, you're right. " She smiled softly down at her hands that were folded in front of her. A moment of silence washed over the two but Hinamori couldn't stop herself from asking something that was bothering her now that she realized it._

_" Hey, is it okay if I ask you something, Hitsugaya-kun? "_

_" What is it? "_

_The atmosphere immediately changed from an easy going one to a tensed one. Hitsugaya sensed it and was almost dreading what was going to happen._

_" You're going to fight against Aizen-taicho, aren't you? Are you going to kill...Aizen-taicho? " He knew it was coming yet he couldn't stop the hate that resurfaced within him for the man who betrayed Soul Society. The white haired captain clenched his hand into a fist, his childhood friend was still going on about her ex-captain. It seemed like she couldn't get over the fact that he had almost killed her. Hitsugaya wanted to scowl her for still having faith in a traitor like Aizen. But what she said next made his eyes widen in shock and disbelief._

_" Please...Please save Aizen-taicho. " The timid girl was beginning to shake as she held her arms around herself as if trying to reassure her conscience, " I know what Aizen-taicho is doing is really bad. But, I'm sure he has a really good reason for doing it! " Hitsugaya clenched his fist even harder, his knuckles turning white as he tried to restrain himself._

_" That's right! Ichimaru-taicho is forcing him to do it! Or even Reimei-san! " Hitsugaya's eyes immediately narrowed into an intense glare at Hinamori's fake hope and lame excuses._

_" She's always been spying on Aizen-taicho as if to.. " Just when Hitsugaya's anger was going to overwhelm him, the Sou-taicho stepped in suddenly, a hand held over Hinamori's face as her widened eyes slowly became dull and she fell unconscious, only to be caught by the Sou-taicho's lieutenant._

_" My apologies, I respected her wishes to talk to you and allowed it, but apparently it was too soon. " Sou-taicho said. Hitsugaya glanced at Hinamori's unconscious form before looking back at the captain-commander and bowing lowly._

_" No, thank you very much. I'll take my leave. " With that, the connection was broken into static. Silence erupted in the room as Hitsugaya stood, taking in what had just happened. Hinamori's words still echoed in his mind and it angered him to the very core._

_" Aizen..." He clenched his fist._

_End of Flashback_

Hitsugaya sighed, trying to relieve his anger in some way but the feeling didn't go away. He glanced up and found that he was in the clearing where a large crater was. As soon as Hitsugaya stepped into the clearing, a dark reiatsu erupted within the area. It pushed down on his shoulders so much that he was about to collapse on his knees until he caught himself.

' _What the hell is this?! ' _ He clenched his teeth as he tried to stand back up straight. Looking around, he could not locate the source. Hitsugaya's aqua green eyes surveyed the area carefully until he spotted a pair of red, glowing eyes staring back at him within the depths of the forest. His eyes widened in surprise and was almost stricken with fear before he regained his composure. Taking out a gikon pill, he popped it into his mouth and exited his gigai.

Hitsugaya drew out his sword and held it firmly in front of him. He glared at the red eyes, watching if it was going to make a move. Slowly, black mist swirled out of the clearing and a creature emerged. Taking a step back, Hitsugaya kept a steady eye on it until it completely took on its full form. It surprised the young captain that it was a black dragon.

" _Well, well, well, if it isn't Jyuubantai-taicho, Hitsugaya Toushiro-kun... " _ It chuckled lowly. Hitsugaya eyes widened in shock, he was actually surprised that it knew him. Hitsugaya remained silent but the black dragon watched him with amused eyes.

" _What? Never seen a black dragon before? You should, considering I'm always around you with a certain person... " _Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes, what was he talking about? This was the first time that he had ever seen the dragon and yet its talking as if he'd seen it plenty of times. The dragon let out a deep laugh.

" _Confused are we? How can you forget your dearly beloved so easily? That is, if you really love her.. " _

" ...Reimei..." was the only name Hitsugaya could utter in a whisper automatically. The dragon grinned, showing its fangs.

" _I see you haven't forgotten her completely. My poor mistress...tsk tsk tsk, always getting into trouble I tell ya.. " _

" What happened to her?! If you're her zanpakuto, then what are you doing here by yourself?! " Hitsugaya demanded as he had enough confidence to speak to the massive creature towering over him. He noticed that the atmosphere had darken and it looked like he was trapped in a dark realm with the beast.

" _Touchy now? That's not very nice to snap at a dragon...I'll tell you where she is but you'll have to beat it outta me. " _ Hitsugaya glared at the dragon while gripping his zanpakuto. The dragon was probably the only thing that'll give him answers to his mistress's whereabouts in the human world. But to earn it by defeating something as large as a skyscraper?

' _No, I have to beat him. It's the only way I'll know where she is, after all this time. ' _

" _What are you waiting for? Come at me. " _ The dragon grinned, baring its fangs at the young captain menacingly. Without hesitation, Hitsugaya lunged forward and called out his own dragon.

" Soten ni zase! Hyourinmaru! " The massive ice dragon spilled out of the tip of Hitsugaya's blade. It swirled upwards, meeting its opponent's red eyes with its own with a single roar. Tsukuyomi growled back and darted forward in attempt to crush the ice dragon with its massive teeth.

Hitsugaya maneuvered out of the way as did his dragon. The captain sent Hyourinmaru back to Tsukuyomi and it crashed directly behind the black dragon, ice freezing over him. Roaring in anger, Tsukuyomi broke free of the ice encasing on his back and turned towards Hitsugaya, ready to strike. The battle continued furiously as both opponents went at each other's necks. Within those intense moments, Hitsugaya had managed to become badly wounded by the massive black dragon. Only a few times had he managed to catch him off guard when he was in bankai but they weren't enough to stop Tsukuyomi. Panting, Hitsugaya stuck his zanpakuto into the ground to keep his aching body up. A trail of blood ran down the side of his forehead and a large gash streaked across his chest, the blood still flowing freely. He glared up at the dragon who had managed to put him in this fatal position as his ice wings broke around him.

Tsukuyomi, in turn, only huffed and lowered his head down to ground level. Hitsugaya clenched his teeth, trying to force his mind to work fast and avoid whatever the dragon was about to try. But what surprised him was that the dragon didn't do anything, only merely staring at him with its red eyes.

" _You put up a good fight kid, I'm surprised you lasted THAT long. "_

" And..how long would that be? " questioned Hitsugaya,trying to steady his breathing.

_" About six hours and a half straight " _ Replied Tsukuyomi. Hitsugaya's eyes widened, he hadn't realized he was fighting that long. The dragon chuckled at his shocked expression but then stopped as he looked dead serious at the young captain.

" _I'll stop for now anyways, at least now I know Reimei isn't going head over heels for a weak guy. "_

" Where is she? " breathed out Hitsugaya.

_" If you can stay conscious enough to reach me, I'll take you to her. " _ Hitsugaya growled lowly in frustration. He could hardly move as it is. But if the dragon was serious about taking him to Reimei, then he was willing to do it or at least die trying for all he cared. With a final nod to the dragon, it disappeared in a massive swirl of black mist. Though it was gone, Hitsugaya could still feel his presence except it was coming from a different direction. Hitsugaya glanced around, trying to locate its general direction. Once he found it, he used the last remains of his strength to shunpoe to it.

Placed on the ground in front of him, was the black sword of Tsukuyomi. Breathing heavily, he knelt down to it and grazed his fingers over the sheath and within a second, he found himself kneeling on cold, solid concrete. Glancing up wearily, he could make out Uruhara's shop from his blurred vision before collapsing completely, both his and Tsukuyomi's zanpakuto crashing loudly beside him before he let himself sink into darkness.

**Uh oh... Hitsugaya's gonna find outt:O R&R plz :)**


	22. Awkward Reunion

**Vietvn: OH EM GEE!!!! its been how long?! arghhh im soooo sorry my goshhh i didnt realize it wud be this difficult but here it is, chapter twenty two!**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Awkward Reunion, it's too late to apologize?**

Hitsugaya woke up with a painful throbbing in his head. His eyes squinted closed from the blinding light in the room yet he forced them awake anyways. The young captain warily looked around and noticed that he laying on a futon, bandaged and in a traditional looking Japanese room. Sitting up took a lot of effort and he managed to accomplish it without collapsing from the aching muscles in his body. Sighing, Hitsugaya rubbed his head and instantly recalled the memory he had last saw before fainting.

' _I must be in Uruhara's shop. But if I'm here, then Reimei has to be near. According to Tsukuyomi anyways... ' _ He shakily stood up and took the top part of his shinigami robes. Slipping it on, he then placed the captain's haori over it. Hitsugaya walked over to the door and slid the door open. Stepping out, he was greeted by soft whispers of voices coming from the distance so he quietly sauntered over to the source. Upon reaching it, he figured out that the voices belonged to Ichigo and Uruhara and they were coming from a room. As he neared closer, he was could make out parts of their conversation.

" Yeah...didn't wake up even now...injured that badly? I know...away from him...doesn't find out. "

'_What? It can't be... ' _ Just when he was about to slide the door open, someone had already did and was now towering over Hitsugaya. It was the orange haired shinigami representative himself.

" T-Toushiro! You're awake?! "

" It's Hitsugaya-**taicho**and yes, I'm awake thank you very much..." replied Hitsugaya. Ichigo stiffened and shifted over a bit so he blocked the young captain's entrance fully.

" Umm...H-How you doing? Shouldn't you be resting some more? You were pretty badly injured when we found you." Ichigo said, trying his hardest to be casual.

" No I'm fine now and I need to talk to Uruhara about something. " Hitsugaya said, trying to make his way around the taller boy but was blocked.

" Oh? What about? " Ichigo asked again, obviously stalling. Annoyed, Hitsugaya attempted to push aside the orange haired boy but was not successful.

" Something. Important. " seethed Hitsugaya between clenched teeth. A spark of reiatsu emitting from the room shocked Hitsugaya as he recognized it. Ichigo, sensing the spark of life from the occupant, glanced down nervously at the younger shinigami captain but he stood his grounds and prepared for the worst, despite the vow he made to himself to get out as soon as Hitsugaya found out.

" Step aside Kurosaki. " Hitsugaya said firmly. The addressed didn't budge as he stared down at the snow haired boy. Glaring, Hitsugaya clenched his fist. He was obviously dead serious and wasn't in the mood for games.

" I said; Step. Aside. "

Ichigo gulped, not knowing whether to obey the shinigami captain or to remain standing and see what happens then. Of course he figured that it might cost him his life if he didn't choose to cooperate so he tried reasoning with Hitsugaya.

" L-Look, Toushiro-.."

" I already know who's in there Kurosaki, her zanpakuto lead me here so there's no point hiding unless you want to die a painful death... " Hitsugaya replied, cutting off Ichigo and flaring his reiatsu to emphasize his threat. As the temperature dropped, Ichigo momentarily flinched before the sound of shuffling and muffled voices behind him caught his attention. It was also heard by Hitsugaya who tried looking over the obviously taller shinigami. Only Ichigo was able to glance behind to see what was going on but Hitsugaya had other things in mind. Just as Ichigo was turning his head, the white haired captain immediately shoved Ichigo away from the door which surprised the orange haired boy who stumbled out of the way. As soon as enough space was made for him to slip through, someone had already decided to use his entrance to escape. A blur streaked pass both males and rushed out of the shop.

" You better go after her before she hurts herself..." spoke up Uruhara as he got up from the floor and placed on his hat that had apparently been knocked off.

" Wha?! **She **was the one who ran out?! " asked Ichigo in disbelief and was wide eyed as he looked back at where the blur had left. Hitsugaya, recovering from the shock automatically shunpoe'd out of the shop and was gone in the blink of an eye. Ichigo just realizing that he's gone, was about to go after him but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

" Just leave him, I'm sure he's the most anxious to see her. " pointed out Uruhara. Ichigo sighed a bit and nodded his head before looking towards the shop door that was left ajar.

The female shinigami had been running and flash stepping for the longest time. She had clearly worn herself out and it wasn't good for her healing body. Apparently, she had realized it after she had made her escape. Reimei's pace slowed down drastically as she stopped in the depths of the forest. Panting, she lowered herself onto the grassy ground and tried to steady her breathing. Her heart raced in fast beats but not only from running but from nearly escaping the last person she needs to see looking like she did now. Reimei had still considered herself as a traitor, therefore, she had concluded she can't associate with shinigamis from Soul Society anymore. They'll only shun her anyways for the things she had done.

Her breathing was still rasp and it made her sides ache painfully. Glancing down, Reimei noticed crimson red blood seeping through the white bandages under her loosely worn black shinigami attire. Who had changed her while she was unconscious was pushed aside in Reimei's thoughts, it had been happening to her too often that she was getting used to it. What she had also noticed was that the bandages covered almost all of her upper torso. Reimei pulled the shinigami robe closer to her, though the bandages did cover most of her chest too, it felt uncomfortable.

Reimei clutched her bleeding side and looked around, trying to sense any reiatsu. Sensing none, she started to relax.

'_Good, he didn't follow or at least I lost him if he did. ' _

A rustle in the trees above her jerked her out of her thoughts. Thoughts of being home free vanished as the rustling got louder. Reimei glanced nervously in every direction but could not locate the source. On instinct, she reached for the right side of her waist only to find nothing there.

'_Shoot! I left Tsumetai Kaze and Tsukuyomi! And I don't know where! I'm too injured to fight hand to hand, what the hell do I do!? ' _Panic slowly enveloped her mind until a sudden form rushed at her suddenly. Defenseless, the female shinigami shut her eyes and forced her body to get up and run but was caught in strong arms before she could reach anywhere. Reimei struggled fiercely against her captor's grip, her efforts were proved to be fruitless due to the stomach wound she was suffering. As she struggled more, her captor only pulled her closer so that her back was pressed against his chest and her arms were immobolized tightly at her sides by his arms wrapping around her.

A chin rested itself on her shoulder as Reimei's thrashing were dieing down from lack of strength. His hot breath sent shivers down her spine as he spoke.

" Reimei... " Immediately, Reimei recognized the voice and her struggles ceased completely as he held her, " I'm glad...You're okay.. " His breathing was rasp as he spoke in a husky tone, probably from all the running and wrestling. The female shinigami just sat still, listening to both of their hearts beating rapidly and their panting breaths, her head slightly bowed.

" Promise me...You won't leave...if I let you go.. " He leaned on the side of her neck more, obviously exhausted as he continued panting softly. Reimei's eyes softened behind the curtain of hair hiding her face. She swallowed a breath before nodding softly but sincerely. His arms slowly started to slip off but she still remained where she was. Reimei felt his weight lift off of her, a few shuffling footsteps before she found him standing in front of her. Kneeling down, he gently lifted her chin up to face him. For the first time in a long while, Reimei's amethyst eyes finally met his aqua green ones.

" You're an idiot for running out like that, you could've gotten hurt. " Reimei averted her gaze from his slowly. It was then she realized that she had forgotten how to talk to him normally without thinking about what she'd done to him. Heck, he shouldn't even be talking to her so casually right now. The young captain must've noticed the conflicting battle in her eyes and frowned slightly.

" We should head back, before we're spotted. " he said looking off in the distance, " Can you walk? " Glancing up slightly, Reimei met his gaze before nodding her head. As she shifted her weight to get up, a searing pain coursed through her body and she let out a yelp from the suddenness. Hitsugaya became alert and knelt down in front of her again.

" What happened? " Worry was evident in his voice but Reimei could only concentrate on clutching her side in hopes of stopping the pain. She carefully released her hand from the bandage on her wound to find more blood slowly seeping through it. Reimei figured that she must've strained her body too much when she was escaping and wrestling. Hitsugaya must've noticed too because within seconds Reimei had found herself being carried bridal style.

When she was about to open her mouth to protest, he suddenly took off at a very fast pace. The sudden adrenaline surprised Reimei and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. It was only until half a ways from the shop did he stop and started to walk normally. The walk was silent, both of them didn't say a word to the other. Reimei was beginning to feel uncomfortable even in his arms, it wasn't the same silence they shared before where they would only enjoy each other's company. Now, it was an awkwardness between them. Even though it was quiet, Reimei refused to look anywhere but his eyes. A sigh of relief nearly escaped her lips when she saw the small shop just ahead of them. But still even as they walked in, they were quiet. That was until Uruhara came.

" Oh! I see you successfully brought her back uninjured I presume? "

" Just have someone change her bandages, her wounds opened up a little. " spoke Hitsugaya in a monotone.

" Hmm..I'll have Ururu take care of them, can you be so kind as to place her in that room? " Uruhara spoke while fanning himself so casually. With a curt nod, Hitsugaya carried Reimei back into the room where she had escaped from. Placing her gently on the futon, he took a small glance towards the raven-violet haired girl who was sitting silently with her hands folded in her lap and her gaze focused on them. Hitsugaya's eyes softened ever so slightly, it really hurts him on the inside that she was behaving like this. But he couldn't really blame her, she must've felt bad for what she did but to him, it didn't matter what she did, just as long as she was here and safe. He wanted to say something but the words were trapped in his throat so he shook it off and took his leave.

Once she heard the footsteps slowly fading away, Reimei looked up again to make sure he was gone. She sighed, her conscience debating whether or not she should talk to him, try to mend things back to the way they used to be. But she was afraid, hard to believe.

'_I'll just have to think of something by tonight. ' _

**Time Skip-Around night time (8 ish something LOL)**

Hitsugaya had been insisted on staying for the night by Uruhara, seeing as how he needed to discuss a few things with him. So now here he was, sitting in the small dining room area, sipping on green tea.

Not a moment sooner, Uruhara appeared at the doorway smiling like usual.

" Hitsugaya-taicho! I'm pretty sure you have a good understanding of the situation just by making an inference.. "

" Hn.."

" I'll take that as a yes then. Well, I've informed Matsumoto that you ran into some problems when you were out and is staying at my place. She insisted on coming to see you but I've managed to convince her otherwise. "

" ...So I'm guessing Soul Society doesn't know about this? "

" Not _yet. _"

" Good, keep it that way. " Uruhara couldn't help but grin behind the paper fan he was holding. It was more than obvious the captain was falling head over heels in love with Reimei.The thought triggered a scheme in his mind.

" Alright, alright. Saves us from getting into trouble with the Sou-taicho. I'm glad you agreed with the conditions or else I might've just had to tie you up and lock you somewhere where no one can find you. " The shop keeper chuckled cheerily.

" Tch, as if you can actually accomplish that..." scoffed Hitsugaya as he got up to leave.

" I have my ways with many things... " replied Uruhara in a mysterious manner. The young captain only rolled his eyes and exited out the door and towards the room they had prepared for him. Shutting the door, he sighed to himself and stared out the window into the dark night. He stared out at the moon and the stars in the sky, contemplating to himself.

'_Doesn't she realize that I'll forgive her either way? Its not like I'll turn her in the moment I got the chance to...Maybe I'll talk to her or at least try to..._ ' He glanced down sadly, he really wanted to turn back time and make this all better. But he knew the only way to make amends is to actually talk to her but what was stopping him? Ahh..right, fear of the awkwardness they'll have to go through. They haven't seen each other for a long time and past events just made things even more complicated.

Hitsugaya gritted his teeth, his conscience was driving him mad because he knew that deep down, he _really_ wanted to make things better between them. Not just because they used to be good friends, its something more...

Sighing in frustration, he finally made up his mind. Throwing away all the factors standing in his way, he decided to confront her now, seeing as how he could get some time alone with her while the other residents in the shop were sleeping. Grasping the sliding door, he pulled it back only to freeze dead in his spot.

Standing in front of him, was none other than Reimei who had her hand slightly raised to pull back the sliding door before he did with an equal amount of shock written on her face.

**I get this feeling that this is gonna go on for a while...but i got a plot worked out so yea :D . . .sorta LOLL we'll c how it goes. R&R plz n thank u for ur patience... :) hope this doesnt suck cuz i think it does LOLL**


	23. Frozen Kiss

**Vietvn: OMGG IM SOOO SORRY FOR SUCH THE LONG DELAY. I kno its been forever since I updated this story but if u wanna complain, write a letter to my school, tell them to give me less homework -- espcially art (damn painting...) and i was havin a sort of writers block wit it too (getting one or two sentences in each day on this chapter ) I tried my best to meet up to your expectations so if this sucks, I'm sorry cuz yeaa i kno i was taking a while to update so i was tryna get this done as fast as I could well, here it is ch 23 finally!**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Frozen Kiss**

**Reimei's POV (starting from before going to Hitsugaya's room)**

I paced my room a bit anxiously. My mind was racing as I was trying to think of some way to apologize to Hitsugaya and maybe to other shinigamis if I ever meet up with them again. I really wanted to get on good terms with all of them again, really I do. But if they don't accept my apology then I can understand why, I want to at least try though. So, with one last slow intake of breath and letting it out, I made my way out of my room and towards the tenth division captain's room down the hallway.

'_ I am going to do this, I can or else I will never be able to redeem myself ever again. _' I thought confidently. I raised my hand and was just about to knock when the door itself slid open. Who it was was the very person whom I wanted to speak with and yet, don't want to see. My confidence quickly vanished and I felt my eyes go slightly wide at the sudden appearance of Hitsugaya Toushiro.

His expression almost mirrored mine, so I guess he wasn't expecting me to be where I was either.

'_ Great, this is awkward now. And this was a bad time afterall. I should leave_. ' I turned my body jerkily and prepared myself to leave but then something snatched my wrist and pulled me back. I was stopped dead in my tracks and I couldn't budge. No escape but this, I realized, is the moment I needed to make up from my poor attempt at making a move first. I turned around meekly to meet aqua green eyes. They still intrigued me, it's like there's a compelling force that was forcing me to stop and take a moment to look.

A moment of silence passed between us, can't he stop staring at me like that? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in before speaking.

" Umm...Listen, can I talk to you? ...Just for a moment? " He snapped out of his trance-like state and nodded. He gently pulled my wrist, which he had been holding, into his room. We both went in, it was simple, nothing but a guest room. Hitsugaya slid his hand away from his grasp on my wrist to shut the door behind us. We were all alone now, just the two of us.

I stood in the middle of his room, not really moving. I tried to work out something to say, there was so many things I wanted to explain ever since I left Soul Society. I watched Hitsugaya pass me to stand near the window, his back turned towards me and arms crossed and tucked into the sleeves of his shinigami robes which I had noticed he was still wearing. Well, at least it made it easier for me to talk without having piercing eyes staring at me like any wrong thing I say would be used against me.

" ..Hitsugaya-san...There's a lot of stuff I wanted to explain but haven't got the chance to. First, I'm sorry for all the things I've done but it was only because I wanted to protect Soul Society. That's why when Aizen approached me and offered an alliance, I accepted it because I wanted to know for sure what he was up to and later on, I can pass that kind of information to Sou-taicho so that we'd be more prepared and no one would get hurt. And I'm sorry that I've hurted some people in the process but it was only so that Aizen won't end up killing them. So I'm sorry that I betrayed you in any way and I would understand that if you choose not to accept my apology. You have reasons not to, I respect that. I just wanted to tell you that I never meant to do those kinds of things and hope that we can still talk in the future and be friends again. "

I was surprised how smoothly it came out, I hadn't intended to rant on about it that much and I don't think I've used the word 'sorry' so many times. Did I sound a bit too desperate? I sighed inwardly, if he doesn't forgive then at least I tried. I glanced up at him, he still had his back turned towards me, not responding to me at all.

My eyes saddened, guess he really doesn't like me at all after what I'd done to Soul Society...And to him.

" I'm sorry if I wasted your time, maybe this wasn't what you expected from me when you agreed to talk to me. Is there something else you wanted to talk about? " I asked quietly.

Silence...Finally, a sigh came from him.

" I thought I told you, " He turned around to face me, arms still crossed but he had a softened look on his face, " That when we're alone, just the two of us, you can call me by my first name, Reimei... "

I stared back at him, a bit shocked. Maybe I might've heard wrong, maybe I was too hopeful to make myself hear wrong. I don't know what's wrong with me nowadays but I definitely heard wrong...Right? I must've spaced out for at least 2 minutes because I didn't notice Hitsugaya was in front of me now, I almost jumped back at the close distance. He tilted my chin up gently with the ends of his fingers to meet his gaze. I thought I nearly died and went to heaven when I looked into his eyes.

"I'm just glad you're here now and not hurt. " He leaned forward and planted a ghost of a kiss on my own lips. His lips, I remembered, were still as soft. Though it was only a brief kiss, I still savored the touch and feel of it. Afterwards, he leaned near my ear and whispered a good night. I found myself unconsciously walking towards my room, like I was under a spell of some sort. Soon I was back in my room, staring blankly ahead, still trying to comprehend what just happened.

'_Wow...If his short kisses are like that...I wonder what kind of a kisser he really is...' _I had to grin cheekily at my childish thought and even though I was blushing like a cherry, I was the only one who knew so it's okay because at least I went to sleep happy. Teehehe...

**Next Morning**

I woke up, happy. The events of last night still replaying in my mind. I was so happy that I woke up earlier than I usually do which was 5 in the morning early. Of course most people would still be asleep but I just had too much energy in me to be asleep, so I went to practice. I got dressed in the normal shinigami outfit since I left most of my clothes back in Soul Society. Afterwards, I went in search for my zanpakutos. Luckily, I found them in the room I had stayed in for the past weeks when I was still unconscious. I quietly sneaked my way to the basement, Tsumetai Kaze excitedly talking to me and how worried she's been.

' _**I've missed you so mistress, are you well enough to be practicing??**_ '

' _Yes I am, don't worry. I won't get any stronger if I just stay in bed._ '

' _Gosh it was sucha bother to help out that short snowball. You do realize that he's head over heels for you, especially what happened last night...Got some action goin' on there eh? _'

'_Who told you you can invade my thoughts?! _'

'_I do whatever the hell I please, so are you gonna make a move or what?_ '

'_How am I supposed to know these things? It was just a small kiss, probably just a goodnight kiss._ '

'_**But it was passionate, did you not notice? '**_

'_ ...' _I stepped off the last step of the ladder; I was now in the barren terrain of the basement training room. It looked scarily similar to outside in broad daylight but I knew it was just the ceiling.

'_**You didn't answer me...'**_

'_...Maybe I did...Maybe I didn't...'_

'_That was a yes, kid, I'm tellin' ya, if a simple kiss like that has got you that drugged, then imagine the REAL thing... _'

'_Would you just stop!?_ '

'_**Really, mistress Reimei, you have to confess your love some point...'**_

'_I know, _' I replied while drawing out Tsumetai Kaze and making a few swings and strikes, '_It's just that...I don't know, guess I'm too shy? '_

'_Shy? Pftt...As if_. '

'_**What is there to be scared of?'**_

'_...Rejection? _'

'_Kid are you blind? He's falling for you big time, the great Hitsugaya-taicho; youngest shinigami to become captain, child prodigy, a genius. This guy's got the well known titles and he's as cold as an ice cube. Always serious, acts too mature for his age AND-! _'

'_I get it! _' Another swing and a few foot works here and there, its a wonder how I keep a conversation going while working with a dangerous weapon.

'_**Point is, despite how people know him, he's showing a completely opposite side of him whenever you're around. The only one who notices this is Matsumoto. **_'

'_So the fear of rejection rules out completely for a reason NOT to confess. Any other excuses you wanna make? _'

I swung my zanpakuto in a fluid motion, damn it they were right. There was no other reason for me to not confess. I sighed, I really should tell him how long I've been crushing on him.

"You know, turning the basement into an ice rink is my job..." A voice startled me out of my concentration and I nearly slipped. I looked up and found the smirking tenth division captain. I then noticed that he was right, the majority of the basement area was covered in a layer of ice. That was gonna take a while to melt.

Hitsugaya shunpoe'd to a distance that was only a meter away from me.

"So, how about a spar? " He asked while pulling out his own zanpakuto from his sheath. I looked down at my feet to the thick ice I made.

"On ice? "

"We're both ice elements, so we can use it to our advantage. Or have you already decided my Hyourinmaru is stronger than your Tsumetai Kaze? "

"Pfft...Not even." I said positioning myself in a fighting stance. He smirked again and got himself ready. It was a stare down before he made the first move by charging towards me quickly. He was fast I had to admit, but I managed to dodge in time. Another strike right after I just dodged, that nearly got me. Now it was my turn to strike, I went for his abdomen but he blocked just in time. But since this block and strike battle is getting us nowhere, I decided I'll be the first to release my shikai.

"Blow them away, Tsumetai Kaze! " The once solid ice blue katana became much more intricate with designs on the grip and carvings appeared into the blade itself. I wasted no time to attack Hitsugaya, I won't give him a chance to call out his blade too, "Daikamaitachi! " A strong gust of wind erupted from the swing of my zanpakuto and it easily scratched through Hitsugaya's defences. As soon as he lowered his arm that came up in defence, I shunpoe'd towards him and nearly had his throat when he suddenly jumped back. I skidded to a halt, much to my difficulty and I noticed that Hitsugaya had trouble braking himself.

'_Great, I nearly forgot about the ice...Damn it._ '

"Soten ni zase, Hyourinmaru!"

'_NO! _' I glanced back up to see Hitsugaya releasing his shikai, the dragon of ice and water slithered out of the tip of his zanpakuto and headed straight for me. I held up my sword in braced myself for the oncoming dragon. When it came near me, I swung my sword and ice and water sprayed everywhere as the dragon was sliced on contact. A sudden sharp pain was thrusted into my gut and I gasped to realize that Hitsugaya had managed to jab the end of his zanpakuto handle into me while I was temporarily blinded by ice and water.

I gritted my teeth, sneaky little snowball used the similar trick I did to him. I jumped back lightly, now aware of the ice surrounding us.

"Ice Phoenix Wind Blade!" Ice spewed out from the tip of my blade into a magnificent phoenix. It took flight, spreading sparkles of ice from its wings before swooping back down close enough for me to jump on its back. I kept a close eye on Hitsugaya, watching to see what kind of move he'll make. After a while of locking eyes with each other, I saw him grit his teeth and raise his own zanpakuto. The ice dragon, Hyourinmaru, emerged from his blade too in ice and water. The dragon was just about the same size as my own phoenix. I glanced down at Hitsugaya but then suddenly, found a large dragon rushing at me. I braced myself as my phoenix swiftly moved aside to avoid getting rammed. As the dragon rounded back, I spotted the white haired captain himself aboard the dragon. I had to smirk, ' _My phoenix against his dragon..hm, I really wonder who will win...'_

The battle raged on but then it turned into more like a dance. Both Hitsugaya's dragon and my phoenix swerved pass the other easily and always looped back to attack again. It was a few times that Hitsugaya or I had boarded the other's ice beast and continued on with our zanpakuto battle but then after a while, retreated back onto our respective creatures. It continued on for who knows how long, I was getting breathless and my body became much heavier. Sweat rolled from my forehead down to my cheeks, I could tell from Hitsugaya that he was getting exhausted too from the long going battle. With one last heave, I directed my sword toward his lingering dragon ahead. My phoenix understood and rushed forward, I wasn't planning on continuing this battle any longer, I might just pass out before I go on any further. I saw that Hitusgaya was shocked at the sudden action and quickly ordered his dragon to do the same. Phoenix and dragon crashed head on and shattered into million shards of ice. I felt myself descend from the air and didn't do anything about it, my body was too sore to move. The rush of air howled in my ears as my eyes slowly close, but then a hand took grasp of mine and an arm weaved itself around my waist before my body met with the ground.

The impact of it wasn't as hard as I expected, but I had an idea of why that was possible. My upper body was lying on top of Hitsugaya's chest which was heaving from exhaustion. Being polite and a bit embarrassed gave me a little bit of energy to push off of him and collapse beside the tenth division captain on the ground, getting a clear view of the basement 'sky'. We both took a moment to regain some of our breaths back but after a while, I decided to speak.

"So...Does that mean..it's a tie...? "

A few more breaths of air and soon a chuckle was the reply I got.

"Not… quite..." A shift of body weight and I found that I was pinned to the ground AND Hitsugaya was on top of me now, face-to-face with our lips inches away from touching.

My amethyst eyes widened in surprise as his aqua green ones shone with amusement. Finally, the gap between us closed and his lips met mine in a gentle kiss. I returned the kiss naturally and he seemed content by that fact because his lips curled into a small smirk. But despite that, I was happy the way we were right now too so I wasn't one to complain. I slipped my eyes closed and enjoyed it for whatever how long I could remain conscious without falling asleep right on the spot. Just when I was drifting off, I felt his hot breath linger near my ear and whispered.

"I win..."

**Woohoo! finished this chapter fianlly, betchu it was crap because it took a short amount of time for me to read this over and edit --'' plz R&R**


	24. The Calm Before the Storm

**Vietvn: GAHH I'm sooooo sorryyy!! D: omgg i kno its been centuries since I last updated this story cuz ther r many things happening in school now tht its comin to near exams (crunch time argh DX) I've been rele busy wit work from school n stuff(n a bit of writer's block..) so I apologize if this chapter is crap n sort of like a filler but still, i'm plannin on two things:**

**1) im probably gonna end this story in the next 3-4 chapters**

**2) Im puttin this story on hold for a while cuz of school work and a little bit into summer cuz im goin away for a while on vacation**

**I WILL FINISH THIS STORY, it'll just take some time cuz im sorta runnin short on ideas in the 'in between events' (gah hate those) before the major ones which I already hav so yea im improvising rite now**

**Again a million apologies if this chapter disappoints you, its just tht i dunt like rushin things. It rele shows if i do n it sorta ruins it**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: The Calm Before the Storm**

**Still Reimei's POV**

I slowly opened my eyes, I was sore all over and it felt like I slept forever. Groaning, I re-closed my eyes from the sudden light. After a while, I managed to adjust to the light. My body felt like it weighed a ton when I tried shifting my position. I was utterly confused until I felt that the extra weight was an arm...which connected to another body laying beside me. To be more specific of that body, it was the white snowball.

My eyes widened immediately, he had his arm draped over my stomach, holding onto me in a firm grip. I propped myself up on the bed we were in but felt his grip tightened a bit. I rolled my eyes, what a stubborn guy. I tried pushing his arm off of me, that proved to be a failed attempt. I heaved a sigh, there was no way I could get out.

" Toushiro... " I called to him. No answer, only a light snore.

" Toushiro..." I said a bit more firmly. Still nothing, I was getting annoyed.

" Toushiro..! " I repeated again until a light groan came from him.

" ...Nani... ?" I heard him mumble. I blew a stray strand of hair and peered down at him, he still had his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

" Let go of me already, I wanna change out of my sweaty clothes..."

" ...You're already changed..." I looked down at myself, he was right. I didn't notice that I was wearing a white sleeping kimono instead of my black shinigami robes. Hitsu-..I mean, _Toushiro_ on the other hand, was in the normal black shinigami robes without the white captain's haori. God how I wish people would stop changing my clothes while I'm passed out. I'm not a barbie doll!

I turned to Toushiro again who was still lying with an arm over me, " C'mon Toushiro...I don't wanna stay here all day..."

" ...But I do..." He replied softly and cuddled closer. I blushed.

" You're a bother. " I sighed and with one tug, managed to break his grip. I got up and headed for the door but heard Toushiro get up too.

" You know, what I said back when we're sparring, " I stopped just in front of the door, looking back slightly, I gave him a look that told him that he got my attention, " When I said I win, I meant that I won your heart too..."

I looked ahead, a shade of red colouring my cheeks again. Did he mean...?

A shuffle of footsteps and two arms encircled my shoulders in a hug. His chin rested on my shoulder, his hot breath was close to my cheek.

" I've..always liked you more than a friend...maybe even love you...I didn't know what you meant to me until you left; that was the first time I felt...lost." I was shocked at his words, he really did love me? Soft butterfly kisses caressed my cheek, I turned my head and they met the corner of my lips. I finally decided to turn around and his lips finally met mine. It was very soft but there was a nice feeling with it. I wasn't sure whether this was the first real kiss I got from him but it was a nice change from all the small pecks. I felt him slowly forcing me back into a wall as we continued to kiss, I was beginning to wonder if he liked having the upper hand in this relationship so I thought of something I wanted to try to prove this theory. I carefully started to trail my hand into the shirt of his shinigami robes, loosening it a bit and gently ran my fingers over his well-toned abs.

A soft moan escaped from his lips and it made me smirk; now that I got him distracted, let's see if he'll fall for my trick. But I stopped abruptly when my fingers traced over what felt like a scar.

'_That's right, I was the one that made it...'_

My eyes opened and I gently pulled away from the kiss. Toushiro looked puzzled at me but my attention was more directed to the ghost of a scar that was just where his stomach was. Guilt sort of passed over me and my mind swirled with thoughts of whether or not I should turn myself in to the Gotei 13 right now for what I had done. Toushiro frowned once he figured out what was the cause of the abrupt change in mood, his grip on the wrist he pinned to the wall loosened and was place gently on the free hand I had, drawing it away from tracing the scar.

"Reimei, if you're thinking about what I know you're thinking of-..."

"But I-.." I cut him off, trying to voice my thoughts but he in turn cut me off.

"It's nothing to worry about, its just a scar. It means nothing."

I bit my lower lip and bowed my head shamefully. I still felt bad for leaving a scar on him because I came to realize that there must've been other ways I was hurting him when I left. A hand gently lifted my chin up so now I was gazing into endless pools of sea-green eyes.

"I've already forgiven you and I expect no debts in return. Understand?" I stared long and hard at Toushiro's eyes and he stared back firmly. After a moment, I closed my own eyes and let out a sigh; nodding my head.

" Tsk, tsk, tsk Taicho! You should play more nicer. " A peek at the door was all it took for me to find out who that voice belonged to. 10th division fukutaicho, Matsumoto Rangiku was standing there; hands placed on her hips while tapping her foot as if she was a mother scowling her child. On her face she wore a wide grin.

" Matsumoto! W-What are you doing here?! " questioned Toushiro, surprised by the sudden appearance of his lieutenant.

" I was worried for you Taicho! You never came home last night or contacted me so I thought something bad happened to you so I came here to ask Urahara-san for help but he told me you were here and Reimei also! " she said cheerily.

Toushiro's hand slowly slipped away from under my chin to quickly fix his shihakusho, not trying to seem awkward. His eyes narrowed as if suspecting something and stepped in front of me while keeping an eye on Matsumoto.

" Matsumoto...I'm pretty sure Urahara explained the situation concerning Reimei, right? " The lieutenant's smile disappeared and she looked at her captain in a more serious manner.

" Hai, Taicho. "

" So you know that no one else can know about her presence here. " He said it with a hard look on his face, I was surprised at how seriously he took this. I frowned a bit, I was more than prepared to take on the consequences of my actions. No matter how well he tries to protect me, I'd still give myself in to the authority of Soul Society.

" Of course Taicho! I wouldn't let a single soul find out about this ever! " Matsumoto rushed over to me and embraced me in a choking hug, smothering me in her overly large breast, " BESIDES! Why would I ever turn someone as cute and adorable as Reimei-chan? She's someone who can even melt Taicho's heart so that's a definite plus! You really did the impossible Reimei, I'm so proud! "

" Matsumoto! You're suffocating her! " I heard Toushiro scowled. I was quickly jerked away from the lieutenant, a bit dazed. It amazed me how fast Matsumoto changed back to her normal perky self from the serious lieutenant just a few moments ago. Toushiro sighed as he rubbed his temple, looking at his lieutenant again.

" Was there anything reported from Yamamoto-soutaicho while I was gone? "

" Nope, " replied Matsumoto, " Nothing much really happened while you were gone. It was so boring for me! I had to deal with hollows all by myself and it was so tiring! And I was worrying about you at the same time and here I find you making out with Reimei-chan.. "

" Matsumoto..." seethed Toushiro as a vein appeared on his head in annoyance.

" Mah, I might as well leave you to it so continue on like I didn't even walk in. " She grinned, giving a peace sign before sauntering out of the room. With one final wink, she shut the door behind her and left us to ourselves.

I sighed, I guess I have some reassurance that some of the shinigami from Soul Society won't shun me for what I did. Toushiro let out another annoyed sigh, running his hand through his snow white hair.

" I swear she needs to act her age more often..." I heard him mutter to himself. I smiled a bit and stretched my arms over my head. I let out a satisfied sigh and turned back to Toushiro.

" So, should we get breakfast? " He turned to face me and nodded his head. I walked towards the door Matsumoto exited out through and opened it. Stepping out into the hallway, I could smell breakfast cooking already. I was eager to eat something after that spar with Toushiro, I was starving.

" Hold on a second, Reimei. " I turned back, my fantasy of eating to my heart's desire vanishing from my thoughts. Toushiro was staring at me with an amused smirk on his face. Was there something on my face? I raised an eyebrow.

" What? "

" You're face looked priceless when you turned to me. "

" Really? Well I couldn't help it then, I was thinking about food. " 

" Aw, and I was hoping you were thinking about me. "

" You were in there...somewhere..." I joked. He shook his head, smiling a bit and pointed back into the room.

" We should go into our gigais, its more convenient that way. " I glanced back at the lifeless dolls sitting against the wall beside our bed. I nodded and entered my respective gigai, Toushiro followed afterwards. Luckily the dolls were already dressed so I didn't have to worry about getting clothes. I came out with a white, 3/4 sleeved buttoned up shirt and a black skirt that stopped just above my knees. I fixed the collar a bit and unbuttoned the first button from the neck so I didn't choke. Toushiro was dressed in a collared black and white shirt with a pair of jeans on. We sauntered out of the room to head for breakfast.

When we came to the dining area of the shop, Urahara was already there along with Matsumoto, Ururu, Shinta and Tessai. As soon as everyone saw us, all attention was directed to us. I felt really awkward right then. I glanced around the room, noticing Urahara was sipping on tea and staring back at me with mischievous eyes. Matsumoto broke the silence by greeting us cheerfully.

" Oh? I didn't expect you to come out so early, Taicho, Reimei-chan. " She said while winking playfully. I blushed and turned my head to the side, now that we're 'together', the lieutenant will never let us hear the end of it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Toushiro who was gritting his teeth in an annoyed manner and trying to restrain himself from snapping.

" Well we're here now and I'm hungry. " I said, brushing off Matsumoto's teases. I might as well get used to it.

" I'll go get breakfast then. " Tessai said as he got up to leave. Toushiro and I knelt down on the tatami mats on one side of the low table. Tessai came back soon afterwards with trays full of dishes for us to eat. Breakfast progressed by lively, with Matsumoto teasing her captain all the time and him telling her to be quiet but that never actually happened.

Renji came in afterwards for breakfast, greeting me in the same manner Matsumoto had (I feel sorry for Toushiro AND myself, we're getting teased even more) and then left afterwards to train with Chad who stopped by minutes later. The day progressed by slowly for me though because Urahara strictly told me that I couldn't go outside at all since if I did, I would most likely confront a hollow, get into a fight, attract attention and get caught by either one of Aizen's lackeys or a Gotei 13 member who would've sensed my reiatsu. Toushiro left to do a status report on hollows and take care of any that were wandering around. So basically, I was isolated in the small shop until further notice. I tried many things to pass time but none of them succeeded, I got bored too easily and before I knew it, it was night. I snuck onto the rooftop of the shop to stargaze and relax myself.

A soft breeze caressed my cheeks and blew strands of my hair forward, I reached up to pull them back and tucked them behind my ear. My thoughts drifted to the Gotei 13 again, they're probably after my head right now. I mean, they would find me sooner or later. Of course, I promised myself I wouldn't resist if they were to have plans to execute me. Afterall, I didn't tell anyone my intentions of joining Aizen and therefore, they assume the obvious.

A spark of familiar reiatsu pulled me from my thoughts, I didn't really need to turn around to know who it was.

" How did duty work go, Toushiro? " I asked, still keeping my eyes glued to the specks of glittering stars in the sky.

" Tiresome.." He replied as he took a seat next to me on the tiled roof. I chuckled lightly.

" At least you get to do something, I was stuck inside the shop all day by orders of Urahara. " I glanced out of the corner of my eye to catch a glimpse at him. He was in his gigai and his snow white hair contrasted against the night sky beautifully along with his aqua green eyes that shone more radiantly in the moon's rays. I couldn't help smiling, he looked absolutely gorgeous. 

" Like what you see? " He must've caught me staring and I must've dazed out. I blinked and saw that he had on his trademark smirk. I rolled my eyes, but nonetheless returned his smirk with my own.

" Maybe..."

" Well, I know I'm liking what I'm seeing..."

" You're such a flirt Toushiro..." I said.

" Only with you so feel special. "

" I was already a special person. " I grinned, Toushiro shook his head but still had on a small smirk and continued to stargaze. I shifted a bit closer to him and laid my head against his shoulder, he responded by wrapping one arm loosely around my shoulders, pulling me even more closer. We remained in silence for a while but as we did, I drifted back into my thought of the possibility of being captured by the Gotei 13. Even if I didn't put up a resistance, Toushiro will do anything to keep them away from me. I made a promise and I'm willing to keep it, it was my choice to join Aizen and I knew the consequences for it. I'm willing to accept it even if it means my life.

" Toushiro..? " I asked meekly.

" Hm? "

" About the Gotei 13...They'll find me sooner or later you know...I can't hide forever... " I felt Toushiro tense. Of course he knew it too, there was no way the Gotei 13 would let a criminal like me go that easily.

" ...You did it for a good cause, and that was helping Soul Society. No one should punish someone who did something good, not even the Gotei 13. You're safe. "

I sighed and lifted my head, frowning slightly, " But you know how Yamamoto-soutaicho reacts to these matters, I'm basically a wanted criminal and that's all that matters. It's enough to get me sent to the Shrine of Penitence. "

" Don't you have faith in me that I'll keep you safe no matter what? " I paused when I was about to retaliate, he got me there. I looked up at him, he kept a steady eye on the stars above. The tenth division captain was totally calm. He shifted his gaze down to me and I stared long and hard into his aqua green irises. After a moment, I sighed in defeat and settled back on his shoulder. He was too stubborn to even argue with and what he said, I'd have to reply to as a yes.

" Reimei, I'm willing to break a rule or two just to keep you safe. You did nothing wrong so you shouldn't be punished, but just promise me for the time being, stay out of trouble. I don't want to lose you, not again.." My eyes softened at his sincere words. It was hard to believe that the Toushiro I knew back then in Soul Society was the same one here, telling me soothing words and holding me in his arms. I laughed to myself, he was probably only like this when we're alone.

" Promise me you'll stay out of trouble. " Toushiro said, looking down at me and waiting for an answer. I looked back at him and let a small smile form.

" I'll try, but trouble has a way of following me. "

" Even if it does, I'll keep you away from it no matter what. " I nodded, still smiling.

" Thanks, Toushiro. " He smiled gently at me and leaned forward, sealing the promise with a sweet kiss in the moonlight. Though I couldn't help but wonder what the future really had in store for us.

But for now, I'll just enjoy this moment.

**Aww, this story makes me jealous. I wish there were guys like tht at school :'( but n e ways yea, if its crap im srry i kno too but plz R&R n be patient :) much appreciated**


	25. DejaVu Twists

**Vietvn: Its been sooo longgg!! I'm sooo srry for such a long wait! Got bak from my vacation! :D it was tiring but it was still fun :) I think i got mostly evrything figured out up to this point so hopefully writing the next few chapters (and ending it soon) will be smooth and then I can continue the other story I left on hold ( I feel bad for leavin it LOL) So here it is! chapter 25! hope it doesn't suck!**

**Chapter Twenty-five: Deja-vu Twists**

**Still Reimei's POV**

I felt my eyes flutter open and the darkness that I was once in became somewhat lightened. There wasn't much of a difference since where I was it was just as dark, a little wet and felt a little confined. Only a stream of light filtered through this place and it was coming from barred windows.

Wait a minute...Barred windows?

I let my hand graze the floor I was lying on, it felt cold like cement. Actually, its because it _was_ cement. How stupid of me, it finally clicked in my mind as to where I might be. I knew this place was a bit too familiar.

I side glanced to make sure I was right.

Yup, I was.

I'm in jail, or more specifically, in a jail cell which is located in this funny place called Soul Society. I smoothly guided my left arm to the other side of me, where my other arm lay limply at its side. I lifted my right hand and pinched my left arm, an annoying sting of pain crawled onto my skin. I let out a sigh, I wasn't dreaming at all.

But figures, memories were coming back and I recalled how I got here in the first place...

_**Flashback**_

_I had found myself next to Toushiro again when I had awoken. I figured he must've carried me back into the room when I dozed off accidentally at some point, I couldn't really remember. He was still sleeping soundlessly but I knew why. It was still pretty dark outside when my eyes drifted to the window. I sighed; I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep again. That proved to be useless, I couldn't fall asleep at all. I would've been tossing and turning restlessly if only Toushiro didn't have his arms around my waist again._

_So I ended up staring aimlessly at the wall beside me. After a while, I got fed up with lying in bed and not being able to sleep and since I was already awake, I might as well go do something without disturbing anyone. Maybe train outside in the back of the shop or something. I slowly got up, prying Toushiro's arm off of me as I rose out of the bed. As soon as my feet touched the floor, I tiptoed over to the door as quietly as I could._

_I gently slid the door open, glancing back over my shoulder to make sure the captain was still asleep. Thankfully, he was. I smiled to myself and quickly stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind me gently._

_I shuffled my way through the shop soundlessly and managed to sneak outside into the open area in the front of the shop. I know I'm not suppose to ever show my face to the world again but still, I need to get fresh air once in a while. _

_I took out a gikon dispenser I had 'borrowed' while passing by the shop's candy section and popped one of the tiny green balls into my mouth. I swallowed and immediately afterwards, was forced out of my gigai. My respective zanpakutos were strapped on my back and waist and I couldn't help but smile in content. I dismissed the gigai to go back inside and maybe just keep anyone who's wandering around in the middle of the night from suspecting my disappearance. I breathed in the fresh air; it seemed like forever since I've been outside. I took out Tsumetai Kaze but before I could start practicing, she started to pester me._

_"__**Are you sure you're supposed to be out here? Someone could catch you."**_

"_Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything that relates to using spirit energy and besides, I'm still hiding my reiatsu presence."_

_**"But still-"**_

_"Just leave the kid alone and stop being such a worry chicken. "_

_An argument started between the phoenix and dragon, I huffed in annoyance and told them to stop bickering. They both grunted and I could imagine the both of them turning away from each other, but at least now they were quiet. I started to do various strikes and just brushing up my swordsmanship. I stopped my routine after a while just to stop and contemplate. I couldn't help but have this gut feeling something about me is...not there. Well, it used to but not anymore._

_"__**What's wrong?**__" asked Tsumetai Kaze, concern clearly in her voice._

_" It's just that...Hmm...How do I explain? Maybe I'm feeling a bit empty because I haven't exactly won a good fight definitely; it's always been a tie. "_

_**"That's still impressive, considering the opponents you've went up against. They're all highly trained and skilled and to match up to their power is a great accomplishment for oneself..."**_

_Tsumetai Kaze's words comforted me a little, but the feeling was only half gone._

_"__ Feh, it's 'cuz you're always holding back. Sure the opponents you've faced before are strong but you're not going all out because you think its not necessary to get too serious with the fight. If it was something more threatening then perhaps there's a chance that you might definitely won." _ _ Spoke the dark dragon. _

_I thought about what Tsukuyomi said and I slowly started to believe that what he said was true. I tilted my head to the side, how am I supposed to test this theory when I don't have a good enough opponent. I plopped onto the ground, thinking. I wanted to get rid of this feeling, it's blocking my mind from thinking straight and I hated that. I didn't know how long I was sitting there thinking to myself, but I was woken from my reverie by a distant howl. Immediately I knew what it was; a hollow. The howl wasn't too far away so it threw me into choosing whether or not to go after it._

_Well, I'm probably the only shinigami around here and going after it is only natural because that's the duty of a shinigami. With that thought, I figured there's nothing wrong if I do. My decision was set and I took off in the direction of the hollow using flash steps. Soon I arrived at a clearing not too far away from a park._

_I was pretty sure I sensed the presence of a hollow here but looking around, all I saw were trees. I scratched my head, maybe I've been in the house too long and I was hallucinating. I was just about to turn around and go back when something towered over the trees. I craned my neck to look at the thing to its fullest height. That was __**definitely **__not an ordinary hollow. The features of the creature became clear as I squinted my eyes and they all equal to that of a menos._

_I shook myself from being surprised. Tch, okay so it might be tall and huge, but it's still as weak. I gripped Tsumetai Kaze, this was going to be over in less than 10 sec. Just slice and dice and that's it._

_That assumption quickly changed when I saw several more tall, looking things pop up like daisies. Now there were several menos towering over me._

_**"With this many, I'm pretty sure it will be detected by other nearby shinigamis in the area..." **_

_I nodded my head; Tsumetai Kaze was right and technically, I wasn't supposed to be here. If anyone besides the people in Uruhara's shop comes, my cover will be blown. It's either I bust out the scene now and leave it to the others, or I quickly finish them off in one blow and bust out the scene then. I frowned, I hate last minute decisions so I'll just go what I came here for; a good fight._

_I leapt up high to get close to one of the menos and as soon as I was close enough, I swiped my blade to deliver a blow. The menos I targeted disintegrated on contact and I prepared to go after another. _

_**"Please try not to use anything that might trigger your reiatsu presence..." **__warned Tsumetai Kaze._

_"I know, I'm still hiding it you know..."_

_I flash stepped from one menos to another, quickly destroying them. I was more than half way destroying all of the menos when one of them decided to surprise me with a cero attack from behind. This caused somewhat of a chain reaction as the rest of the menos joined in on preparing a cero attack on me from all directions. I gritted my teeth as the red light grew brighter and brighter, probably the shockwave from this attack would cause a lot of damage. I flash stepped out of their range but I still felt the red light burning behind me. The bright light turned into a flash and then an explosion._

_Instinctively, I used Tsumetai Kaze to create a dense ice shield to protect myself. Even though it was holding back the massive energy, I still felt the shield breaking quickly with each second._

_"C'mon! When is this gonna end?! " I shouted while trying desperately to keep the shield from shattering too soon. The shield finally gave away and the force flung me backwards. Shards of ice shot out like bullets from the broken shield and managed to scrape me. My trip backwards was cut short when I crashed into a tree painfully. Collapsing onto the ground, I looked back up to see all the remaining menos closing in on me. There were only a few left now, I guess the blast must've killed some of the menos also._

_I shakily got up, gripping my zanpakuto and holding it defensively._

_"__**You idiot! You weren't supposed to concentrate ANY amount of reiatsu! I won't be surprised if the Gotei 13 shows up! "**__The blue phoenix scowled._

_"I couldn't help it!" I replied back, " What else was I suppose to do to survive an atomic blast of ceros?!"_

_"Reimei! " A familiar voice came into the picture and I didn't have to turn around to see who it was. Out of the corner of my eye, the flutter of white robes, white hair and a long sword was recognizable. What was also recognizable was the scowl on that person's face. I sighed and mentally prepared myself for a lecture from the one and only Hitsugaya Toushiro, captain of the tenth division and also my ideal romantic interest. _

_"What are you doing out here?! Don't you know that someone could've seen you?!" I flinched at his tone of voice, he was really angry. I turned to face him, he had his arms crossed, his brow was furrowed in an irritated way and his mouth was in a slight frown. _

_"I promise I'll explain later but first a little help?" I asked while jerking my head towards the towering menos. He turned his attention away from me and towards the hollows. He scoffed in an annoyed way and simply pulled out his long sword that was strapped to his back. He took one leap, called out Hyourinmaru, froze all of them at once and shattered them into millions of tiny pieces. Toushiro made it seem too easy but hey, I was holding back my reiatsu. I could've taken out a dozen menos just as easily as he did any day._

_I had a slight pout on my face still when he landed on the ground with a soft thud. Toushiro strapped his sword back onto his back and then turned to face me once more, assuming the position he was in before._

_"Now explain to me why the hell you would be out here when everyone is after your head because of your 'betrayal.' " I smiled apologetically to him while rubbing the back of my head._

_" Well, I was only planning on staying just outside the shop to do small exercises, but then I heard something that sounded like a hollow so I went to see if there was one so I can just get rid of it. So I went but then I found out it was a lot of menos. I wasn't being reckless I swear! I was holding back my reiatsu the entire time I was fighting but then one of them prepared to fire a cero and then all of them joined in and then I had no choice but to make an ice shield to block it off before it burns me to a crisp! Then that's when you came and now...we're here." I concluded with a gulp of air. I looked at Toushiro for any signs of reaction after my long explanation. He had this unreadable look on his face even though it seemed like he only had a serious expression on._

_I waited patiently before he let out a sigh._

_"That still doesn't mean YOU have to go out and take care of the hollows, someone else could've done it or you could've woken me up and I would've taken care of it." Toushiro said irritated._

_Now it was my turn to sigh; if I did wake him up, he would've questioned me for being out of bed or what not. But honestly I wanted to get out for once; I can handle myself just fine._

_"Reimei! Toushiro! " shouted a familiar carrot top. Ichigo appeared from the trees and landed right in between Toushiro and me, dressed in his shinigami attires._

_" It's Hitsugaya-taicho for the last time! " scowled Toushiro, resuming his role of captain._

_"Aww, then why does Reimei get to call you by your first name?" _

_"That's none of your concerns."_

_"Ohh I see, it's 'cuz you like her..."_

_" Kurosaki don't you even-..!" Toushiro was cut off when Matsumoto came and called out to him in her usual cheery voice._

_"Taicho!" The lieutenant smiled brightly despite it being so late at night. I saw Toushiro sigh in an annoyed way and mumbled something to himself. _

_"Reimei! I didn't know you're out here too!" Matsumoto said, turning to me, "Shouldn't you be inside?"_

_"At least you said it in a nicer way..." I replied. Toushiro gave me a look that said he knew what I meant by what I said. I shook it off, I wasn't mad at him for giving me a lecture since I knew he cared but still, was he not confident in my abilities of handling things by myself?_

_"Look, we better head back before anyone sees us." Toushiro finally said and flash stepped back to the shop, everyone else followed him and I was the last to leave. We arrived back at the shop, the sun was just about to rise and most of us were ready to go back to sleep. As soon as we opened the door, we were confronted by Kuchiki Byakuya and along side him was Zaraki Kenpachi. Everyone at the front door froze in their spot and the atmosphere was immediately tensed. I stared up at the two captains, I felt very small compared to them and it was sort of intimidating but boy were they fast to come here._

_"You probably already know why we're here, Jyuubentai taicho." Spoke Byakuya in his monotone while staring down at Toushiro. I felt him tensed and then moved closer to me so that I was behind him._

_"If you're here to arrest her then I can't allow that." Toushiro replied back with no waver to his voice. I was surprised he kept his grounds steady in front of two feared captains, but I guess since he was so used to being around captains all the time, the air of authority didn't really bother him._

_"__**I told you they would show up..**__" I heard Tsumetai Kaze mutter under her breath._

_"I know that..." I mentally replied back to her._

_"It is Yamamoto's orders to have her charged for her treason. If you choose not to hand her over then we'll have to do it by force." Byakuya said, his expression remaining the same._

_"That's why I'm here. So what's it gonna be? " asked Kenpachi._

_"But she's innocent!" Pleaded Matsumoto. _

_"That's what they all say, so are you gonna co-operate or not?" sighed Zaraki, he seemed rather bored about doing this whole thing. I only watched the argument from behind Toushiro who still kept close to me. It went on for quite a bit til I was on the verge of boredom myself. Soon the words being spoken between the people in the room became incoherent to me and sounded like an annoying buzz to my ears._

_"Alright! FINE!" I shouted at last, I wasn't going to stand here all night just listening to them bicker. I think it was because I desperately needed sleep or because I knew I was going to face the consequences soon that made me speak up. Everyone's attention turned to me and most of them were shocked._

_" I'll go with you guys. " I said more quietly. I felt Toushiro's eyes widen but that was to be expected._

_"Reimei, you can't-" I cut him off by raising my hand._

_"I know, but even if you did manage to keep me here, Yamamoto would probably find another way to get my head. So I might as well save him the trouble..." I said casually. Toushiro still looked incredulously at me. I sighed and stepped forward from behind him, going more over to where Byakuya and Kenpachi stood. They seemed to have a relieved look on their faces; it seems they didn't want to do what they were told to do either. It's most likely they thought it was a waste of their time. The two captains turned around and proceeded to open the doors to Soul Society. I took the time to turn around and face Ichigo, Matusmoto and Toushiro. They all still looked very shocked at what I was doing._

_"Don't worry you guys, I'll be fine." I assured with a sigh. Gosh, now I'm starting to think that they really don't trust in my abilities to handle myself. Toushiro was the first to snap out of his shocked state. He immediately stepped forward and looked me in the eyes with his piercing sea-green ones._

_"You're not going." He simply said sternly._

_"I'm gonna have to at some point." I replied back, shrugging slightly. _

_"But you're innocent! Yamamoto-soutaicho would probably execute you for something you didn't do!" _

_"Then I'll take on whatever he'll throw at me." I said back confidently. Toushiro took me by the shoulders and shook me a bit._

_"Don't be an idiot Reimei!"_

_"Well I can't run away from this forever!" _

_"Oi, oi can we continue this love fest til later on? This is tiring enough." I turned to Kenpachi who was standing at the opened gates of Soul Society, it seems like Byakuya left already since he was no where to be seen. I finally turned my attention back to Toushiro and placed both of my hands on each of his arms that held my shoulders._

_"I promise nothing will happen to me." I smiled reassuringly to him and gently removed his hands from my shoulders. I held them for a while and looked him in the eyes before nodding my head confidently. I could see the worry in his eyes as I finally loosened my grip on his hands and began to back away, heading towards the gate._

_Kenpachi waited until I headed in first before he went in himself. Taking one last glance back at everyone I left behind, I only smiled at them before the doors slid closed._

_" Is there something going on between you and the snowball? " asked Kenpachi as we followed our butterflies through the dark tunnel. I only shrugged._

_"Maybe..."_

_"Heh, weird kids..."_

_End of Flashback_

So afterwards, Kenpachi escorted me to Yamamoto's court where they questioned me and finally decided on a punishment for me. Of course it was execution but I decided to add a small request of my own in it. I don't know if I was insane from the lack of sleep or something but I had asked Yamamoto, Captain-commander of the Gotei 13, to duel with me to the very death. That was when everyone in the court gasped out of shock. What was more surprising was that Yamamoto actually agreed. After his pledge of agreeing to my request, he sent me to a prison hold and that was when I decided to take a nap finally.

Now I'm awake and I have absolutely nothing to do. Just when I was about to force myself to go back to sleep, the dungeon door opened and light poured into the darkness of my prison hold. I had to squint my eyes to adjust to the sudden light but when the brightness subdued, I could make out two figures; one of them was the guard, the tall forked staff that was carried gave it away but in front of him there was a faint outline of another figure. This one was much shorter and on closer inspection, I came to the conclusion of who it might be.

"Leave to your post, I need to talk to her in private."

"But taicho, she's under strict orders to be watched at all times and it means we have to..- "

"I said to leave to your post as an order. **Now**." I was now confident as to who this mysterious figure might be. The dramatic drop in temperature that accompanied the annoyance and frustration growing in his voice gave it away. Along with many other points but if I was to list it all, it would probably take quite a while to finish. I snapped out of my train of thoughts when the guard shuffled back nervously to his post and slammed the door shut hurriedly while on his way. The sound echoed throughout the prison and after it passed, it resumed back to being silent and still except for the small drops of water every now and then.

I drew my attention from the door to the young captain that was slowly approaching me. Once he was directly in front of me, he knelt down to the ground so that he could make direct eye contact with me, or try to since I was still lying on my back against the cold ground.

"Honestly Reimei, you tell me you're not reckless how many times and look what happens to you!" There he goes, scowling me again. After not seeing him in a while, the first sentence he tells me is how reckless I am. Oh well, this is a pretty troublesome situation to be in.

"But at least I'm not gonna die by execution where I'm basically waiting for my death to come." I replied back, looking back at him. He growled under his breath frustratingly, he was gripping the bars to contain his annoyance. I could tell. I waited for him to take a few deep breaths before speaking.

"But that doesn't mean you're not risking your life for something that you didn't do! After turning yourself in so easily, I come to see if I can still save you from any more trouble and I find out you're sent to prison already and due to fight the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 in a death match! This is insane! "He took a few deep breaths again, now using one of his hands to pinch the bridge of his nose to prevent a headache while muttering something. I figured he must be frustrated at how calmly I'm taking this. The temperature of the room dropped to below freezing and then rising to above freezing continuously. I sighed, deciding to try to relieve some stress from him.

" Look, Toushiro," I sat up and made my way to him. As I got close to him, I took one of my hands and placed it gently over the hand he was gripping the prison bar with, "I know you're worried about me and you're probably angry because I seem really careless and inconsiderate about the situation I'm in, but please don't be. I know what I'm doing no matter how insane it might sound."

I heard him sigh; he lifted his head that was bowed to look me in the eyes. I could see his eyes were searching mine as if to make sure no waver of doubt, fear or a hint of a lie was in them. As if to confirm it, he took my hand and held onto it in between the bars.

"I know, it's just that...this was something I've never wanted to happen ever. Now that it is, I guess it threw me into panic of what might happen to you." Toushiro said quietly. I smiled at him, no matter how many times he's been sweet to me; it never stops me from thinking how cute it was. He must've caught my smile, he averted his glance to the side and I wasn't sure if it was my imagination but I was pretty sure a tint of pink coloured his cheeks. I smiled wider.

"Shiro-kun you're so adorable! Like I said, you have nothing to worry about! "I said reassuringly.

"I know! I can't help it sometimes because I know you're gonna end up doing something stupid and I don't want anything to happen to you...You're never one to sit still..." I noticed his voice grew from being loud to a small mutter. I laughed lightly, just like how I knew him well.

"So you've noticed. Anyways, I haven't exactly stuck around to know when I'm actually fighting the old man. So, if you've been poking around long enough to hear about my fight against him, I'm sure you'll know when it is. "I remarked, keeping a steady eye on him.

"Yes I do, it's scheduled to the day after tomorrow."

"Oh, well that gives me the time to think about some battle strategy, maybe reminisce a bit just in case I die. " Toushiro's expression immediately stiffened and he became incredibly serious.

"You're not going to die, Reimei. Not on me. If things go bad on your side of the fight then I'll step in, everyone in Soul Society is coming to see this big fight anyways so I'll be in the crowd. "

"Wow, this all really seems exciting. " I said to myself in thought, I imagined myself standing in a stadium like battleground with everyone seated above the arena. Maybe that's how it'll be like, I hope not. I'm pretty sure a fight with the Sou-taicho himself would require much more spacious areas. Who knows what kind of damage we would both cause.

"I probably should get going." Spoke Toushiro, looking off towards the exit of the dungeons. I noticed it was getting a bit dark from the small window that was available in my prison cell, "I'll come back tomorrow too but in the meantime, try to think of ways you won't die in this fight."

"I'll try Shiro-kun. " I smiled at him sincerely. He just rolled his eyes but had a small smirk on his face. He leaned forward a bit and placed a small kiss on my lips before pulling back and looking back into my amethyst eyes. His sea-green ones still shone visibly despite the limited lighting in the cell.

"Good night, Reimei."

"Good night, Toushiro." I smiled once again as he got up from his kneeling position and began to exit through the door. I sighed, shrugging my shoulders a bit.

"What a great guy." I said softly to myself as I laid back down onto the cold, hard floor.

"_Quit your daydreaming about your lover boy. He's right about this whole situation, how the hell are you going to defeat the old geezer with the bird?"_

" _**Quiet you lizard. I'm well aware that my abilities are weak against the captain-commander's fire zanpakuto. So you don't need to rub it in my face! "**_

_" Who says I was only using Tsukuyomi for this fight. " _I replied, ceasing the argument between my zanpakuto. Before any of them could question the plan I was scheming, I shut them both from my mind and allowed the silence of the dungeon to consume me. Smiling, I let my eyes close and drifted off to a light sleep, still a bit giddy and maybe nervous for the future fight I had at hand.

**Gasp! :O fighting the Sou-taicho?? Wht will happen to Reimei? Will she win? Or will she lose to her death? I dunt no but stay tuned ;D R&R plz!**


	26. Execution Battle to the Death

**Vietvn: Goodness! DX I finally finished this chapter, just a warning, I was typing this almost unconciously(meaning I had no idea wht the hell i wrote down) so if things seem a little...funky then i apologize for the bad grammer n stuff. **

**Recent things:**

**I recently had two of my wisdom teeth removed DX, I look like a chipmunk who went crazy in collecting acorns. The next chapter update mite take a while cuz im so out of it lately**

**Anyways, hope this chapter isn't too crappy**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Execution Battle to The Death**

**Still Reimei's POV**

The big day was just around the corner, well, more like tomorrow. Most of my days were spent lounging around in my cell and picking at whatever food the guards give me; the 'prison food' which I like to call it which was nothing close to being ordinary dango and green tea. I stared at the pieces of bread and water laid out in the tray. I could hardly believe they call this a meal but oh well. It wasn't like I was going to eat it anyways.

I laid onto my back again, staring aimlessly at the prison ceiling. Toushiro hadn't come by for his daily visit but I'm sure he'll show up some time soon, knowing him he's too worried about me to pass up a chance to visit me.

As if on cue, the sound of the door opening echoed throughout the cell. I lifted my head up slightly to see who was coming in. Sure enough, it was Toushiro. The guard knew better this time than to tell Toushiro that I was to be monitored at all times, despite having visitors. I smiled at him and he gave a slight smile in return.

"And I thought you were gonna be late this time." I said as I sat up cross legged to face him. He scoffed and kneeled in front of me. I saw his eyes wander to the tray of untouched food. I followed his gaze and smiled a little sheepishly.

"What? It's stale anyways."

"You should be eating or else you would be too weak to fight." He pointed out. I pouted slightly and looked disgustedly at the loaf of bread. I turned back to Toushiro when I heard him sigh and place a hand in one of his sleeves. He pulled out a small bag and handed it to me through the bars. I took it in my hands, it was warm. I looked back at him confused. Toushiro rolled his eyes as if what was inside the bag was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I knew you wouldn't like eating the food they'll give you, so I bought you something tastier." Right after he said those lines, I immediately unraveled the bag and let the sweet smell filter through my senses. I took out a meat bun and carefully tore it in half and began to take bites out of one half. I chewed and swallowed and couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh.

"You really do know how to spoil me Toushiro." I said while taking another bite. I heard him chuckle slightly, he crossed his arms and let out another sigh.

"I guess it's the least I could do. Maybe I should've been more careful and maybe then, you wouldn't be here..." I heard him trail off softly. I stopped midway in taking another bite on the second half of my bun. I looked at him seriously and he must've noticed because he looked right back in my eyes.

"Toushiro, it's not your fault. It's entirely mine and you know it. So stop blaming yourself." I concluded and began to take another bite.

"But-.."

"No buts! Listen Toushiro, " I said again, stopping midway in a second attempt of taking a bite, "Perhaps after what happened to Hinamori, you've gotten an idea that you can't protect people you care most anymore. Well, don't think that way. It's entirely her decision to believe that Aizen is still good and she chose to ignore your warnings. This is just the same as me, I chose to turn myself in and now I'm the one who's stuck in a prison cell til my death match with the captain-commander. So please Toushiro, just knowing you tried to protect the people you cared is enough. The rest was their doing." I finished my speech and took a glance at Toushiro. It seems like I hit the spot because he seemed a bit surprised at what I said. I finally sunk my teeth in the meat bun and began to devour it.

"Thank you..Reimei." I smiled at him and swallowed my food.

"Don't mention it. I mean what kind of girlfriend would I be after her loving boyfriend gave her actual food to eat?" He chuckled a bit and that made me smile even more. Finishing off the remains of my bun, I let out another sigh of satisfaction.

"Thanks Toushiro, that was really good."

"No problem."

"So...Anything happening outside?" I asked after a while.

"Nothing really, everyone is preparing for the fight."

"Wow, people are really hyped up about this huh?" I commented. Toushiro gave a shrug.

"This has probably got to be the most exciting thing that happened since that bounto incident." I nodded even though I wasn't there for that particular event. A moment of silence swept through us before out of the blue, Toushiro spoke up.

"Oh, right I forgot to give you something." I glanced at him questioningly. He reached into his sleeves once more and pulled out what looked like a bracelet with a single rhombus shaped crystal. I then realized it was the same bracelet I had seen when I was going through his drawers to look for aspirins. I stared at it intriguingly.

"I found it in my drawers this morning. I can't remember where I got it from but I had a feeling I should give it to you." He held it out to me and I obediently reached out to take it. I felt a rush of energy flow through me when I touched it, Toushiro must've felt it too because he was staring at the crystal looking puzzled.

"That's odd..." I heard him mutter softly. I nodded my head stiffly in agreement. Glancing down at the crystal in my hand, it gave a strange glimmer. I shook my head; maybe my mind was playing tricks. I slipped on the bracelet; it loosely clung to my wrist.

"Thank you..." I said softly. I saw Toushiro nod his head and everything basically went silent afterwards. I figured we both had a lot on our minds at the moment but we were snapped out of our reverie when the guard came in and asked Toushiro as politely as he could to leave.

The young captain in front of me turned to give me a look as if asking if I wanted him to stay longer. I shook my head and gave him a small smile that told him he could leave. Toushiro understood and turned back to the guard.

"I'll be leaving in a few moments." The guard nodded and left back to his post.

"The fight is scheduled for early in the mornings. I'll be watching you there."

"I'm sure you will." I replied with a smile, I leaned forward and gently kissed him goodbye on the lips. He returned it without hesitation and got up to leave afterwards. I was left in darkness again, with only the light coming in from my cell window to keep me from losing contact with the outside world. But that still didn't keep me from being bored again.

I let out a heavy sigh.

'_Tomorrow huh? So soon?'_

'_Got a game plan?'_

'_Haha, nope.'_

_'__**Yes you do.'**_

_'I do?'_

_'__**It's called don't die.'**_

_'Right...Almost forgot.'_

**Next day**

I was released from my prison hold earlier the next morning; I was rudely woken up when that happened so I wasn't in the greatest mood. I was told to get dressed. I came back out of the change room with my original outfit on and afterwards the guards escorted me to the area where the fight was suppose to take place. I was sort of surprised when I saw the entrance to one of the big training gyms in Soul Society. Basically it looked like a mini version of the coliseum on the outside.

'_Now why would they hold the match here when they know its going to get trashed badly?' _I wondered to myself, staring up at the building. One of the guards caught me slowing down and roughly nudged me forward. I glared at him and restrained myself from lashing out. Soon I was lead inside and what surprised me even more was that every seat in the building was full of shinigamis of every division. They were restlessly cheering and shouting from their seat, I turned my gaze to the front of me and saw the two lines of captains and the captain-commander himself standing at the front of the lines.

His gaze was set on me as were all the captains. Two of the four guards that accompanied me dragged me forward up to the old man. I passed by the captains without getting glances; they were all either glares, looks of pity, sadness or worry. The glares didn't bother me, I still kept my head high and my eyes fixed on the captain-commander who was as still as a statue.

Passing by Toushiro, I glanced out of the corner of my eyes to see him watching me with his piercing gaze. But I knew behind his fierce facade he was worried about me but I only managed a small smile to him for reassurance. He seemed to have noticed it because he responded by closing his eyes and sighing inwardly to himself.

I stopped about a meter away from the captain-commander, my eyes fixed on him in a steady gaze. He didn't seem at all affected by it because he calmly gazed back at me with his dark eyes.

"Tanaka Reimei," Yamamoto spoke in a thundering tone. The entire stadium went silent, I was amazed that the once noisy crowd of restless shinigamis was silenced the moment the captain-commander utters a word. I snapped out of my thoughts when the captain-commander began to speak again.

"Have you prepared yourself carefully to receive judgment for what you have done?" It's not like I had a choice, if I wasn't prepared I would be killed in half of a second into the fight. Plus, I made a promise to someone not to die today and I intend to live up to it.

"Yes, Yamamoto-soutaicho." I replied back confidently. Yamamoto stared at me for several minutes as if trying to intimidate me even before the fight began but I still held his gaze firmly with my own.

"The match will now begin. We will fight to the death." I would've expected the crowd to erupt in cheers but they didn't. The atmosphere was so tense that I could almost feel it weighing down my shoulders. The other captains nodded their heads once the captain-commander declared the start.

"Fight when ready." was the only thing that Ukitake said before all the captains, including himself, vanished in a flash. The wide open, dirt covered arena was left empty for both the captain-commander and I. It was a stare down between him and me, neither of us dared to move a muscle almost in fear of triggering the fight to actually break out.

'_Well it's going to have to start some time today_...' And that's when I decided it was now or never.

**Normal POV**

Ever so slightly, Reimei's hand flinched and a moment after, both her and the captain-commander disappeared from the ground only to reappear again in mid-air clashing swords. The crowd finally erupted in cheers and shouts as the two shinigamis of different ranks pushed each other back only to come back even fiercer.

Skidding to the ground, Reimei glared ahead of her noticing the captain-commander removing his white haori and tossing it to the ground beside him before rushing forward. She held up Tsumetai Kaze defensively as his zanpakuto came crashing down onto her with immense force. Reimei gritted her teeth, trying to steady herself from being overpowered by it.

Pushing herself away from Yamaoto, she quickly released her zanpakuto.

"Blow them away, Tsumetai Kaze!" As soon as the zanpakuto was released to its shikai form, she wasted no time calling an attack, "Kamaitachi!"

Swiping her blade horizontally, it released a strong gust to wind. The captain-commander managed to evade easily and was heading straight towards Reimei but she confidently took one step back and brought up an arm.

"Reverse Wind Bend!" The gust of wind that the captain-commander avoided earlier blew back towards him again.

"Too slow." He said.

Both Reimei and Yamamoto barely managed to escape each of their attacks by flash stepping away at the last minute. The wind howled and dispersed in the air after it had passed the spot where both fighters once stood. A moment soon after, both of them reappeared a few feet away from each other. Reimei sported a thin gash on her left arm from narrowly escaping Yamamoto's zanpakuto while the captain-commander himself had numerous scratches on his shoulder from Reimei's wind attack.

Panting slightly, Reimei recomposed herself and racked her mind for any sort of strategy to defeat the strong captain-commander.

'_Are we just gonna slash each other to death with random attacks or actually start fighting seriously? Or for all I know, this could be his strategy...C'mon! Think!_

_'__Attack now, think later.'_

Reimei reverted back to reality just in time by the dark dragon to see that Yamamoto was also starting to attack by using kidos. Being the high commander, Reimei had already expected he didn't need to waste any time rehearsing the incantation.

"Hadō Hachi Juhachi: hiryūgekizokushintenraihō. (Way of destruction #88: Flying Dragon Striking, Heaven-Shaking, Lightning Cannon)"

"Gosh what a mouth full..." Reimei managed to mutter before dodging the beam of reiatsu that was shot to her. She jumped high into the air and with a strong slash on her blade; she released another gust of wind.

"Daikamaitachi!" The much larger gust of wind howled throughout the stadium and everything in its path was severely cut down. Reimei kept her eyes scanning every inch of the clearing, not seeing any signs of Yamamoto. She then decided to add in another attack in hopes that it would give her an advantage later.

'_F__ūsajin__ (_Wind Dust)_' _

Stepping back carefully, Reimei glanced around the clearing once more as the wind died down. Not seeing any signs of the captain-commander, she slightly began to panic.

'_I can't let him release his zanpakuto, it'll be over for me when he does and the only defense I have is my Fusajin technique'_

'_Hey what am I?!'_

'_Right, sorry about that...'_

Reimei concentrated her senses to locate her missing opponent. Though she was well trained to sense a present, the cheers from the crowds threw her off a little in concentration.

Up above in a tower situated in the middle of the seats for the crowd were the captains and lieutenants of each division. They all watched intently from behind the glass window. Toushiro was on the verge of pressing his face against the glass to see what was going on, he was anxious to see if Reimei was doing alright but by the looks of her actions and attacks, nothing had harmed her too badly yet.

"I'm sure Reimei will be fine..." spoke a voice beside him softly. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes to meet the strawberry blonde lieutenant of his.

"She's up against the strongest shinigami in Soul Society right now, she HAS to be fine in order not to die..." was Toushiro's reply, fixing his gaze back on the battle again.

Off to the side, the lieutenant of the fifth division gazed confusedly at her childhood friend. When she had heard the news that Reimei had been captured and was sentenced to be executed by the captain-commander himself, she was utterly shocked. But she figured that Reimei deserved whatever consequence she would have to face because of her betrayal. Hinamori furrowed her brows in thought, why can't she seem to shake off this feeling that Reimei meant something to the young captain. Looking over at Hitsugaya again, she noticed how anxious and restless he was as he watched the fight.

'_Hitsugaya-kun...Could it be...you're in love with Reimei?'_

Back down in the arena, Reimei had finally located the captain-commander just as he was about to slash down his blade on top of her. She quickly held up her own zanpakuto and held against the brute force Yamamoto was using. Reimei took the opportunity to manuever her foot to sweep kick the captain-commander. She saw his eyes widen for a brief moment before jumping back to distance himself, narrowly tripping from Reimei's attack.

"I had nearly forgotten you can use hand-to-hand combat while fighting with your zanpakuto. After all, you used to be in the second division of the Gotei 13 yourself."

"I'm glad you remembered." Reimei said smoothly, poising her zanpakuto in front of her and taking a stance.

"Then I won't be going easy on you." Was the captain-commander's last reply before flash stepping in front of Reimei and attacking viciously. They clashed swords continuously, flashstepping once in a while and added in a few hand-to-hand combat moves. The battle between the two roared on intensely, neither one of them showing any signs of weakness or openings.

"Ban kai!" shouted Reimei at last. Everyone in the standings all gasped out in shock as she threw her zanpakuto high in the air, "Aiiro Soten no Tsumetai Kaze!" Catching the newly formed katana along with the fan, Reimei's signature outfit dissolved into feathers and now she was clothed in her respective bankai outfit. With a sweep of her zanpakuto, the entire arena was frozen over. Yamamoto jumped back a few feet, struggling to steady himself from slipping.

"Impressive Reimei, you've managed to master bankai at such a young age. You're a true child prodigy like Hitsugaya-taicho."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Hyouton: Tsubame Fubuki! (Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm)" A cloud of swallows made of ice erupted from the ground and charged swiftly towards Yamamoto. Reimei slid after the group of ice swallows, hidden in the midst of them.

Yamamoto had no trouble evading Reimei's ice creation by simply destroying them with his zanpakuto. As he was kept busy, Reimei flash stepped behind the captain-commander and slashed downwards with a battle cry. Flash stepping away, Yamamoto noticed the thin gash that was slowly appearing on his right shoulder, the wound was cold despite the hot blood seeping from it.

"It's time for me to not hold back anymore, ignoring the fact that you're fighting seriously would be a dishonorable thing to do." Yamamoto said, raising his zanpakuto,"Ban kai..."

'_NO!' _"Hyouton: Hyouro!" Reimei hastily shoved her zanpakuto deep into the icy ground and an ice prison immediately surrounded the captain-commander. Flipping the fan open in her hand, she quickly infused it with her own reiatsu before swiping it, "Futon: Tatsu no Oshigoto! (Wind Release: Severing Pressure)."

The skies above darkened and clouds swirled above the ice prison which was faintly glowing orange inside. Twin tornadoes soon erupted from the clouds and shot straight down to the ice prison, shattering it instantly and hopefully hitting its target with highly concentrated pressure.

Once the skies cleared again and the wind had died down, everyone in the stadium leaned over in their seat looking anxiously at where the captain-commander was. The atmosphere was tense and quiet, Reimei panted slightly from doing one attack after another. Her dark amethyst eyes were fixed firmly at the massive pile of ice.

'_Did I get him?' _The mist from the ice soon evaporated and a burst of flames replaced the once cold arena. Reimei held her arms up in defense as she felt the heat burn against her skin. Peeking a look through her arms, she saw that the captain-commander had released his zanpakuto; something that made her nervous. The top portion of Yamamoto's shinigami robes were torn away, leaving him bare-chested with all his scars from past battles.

'_For an old guy, he's still pretty fit.'_

'_**What now though? You know my ice attacks are useless against his fire attacks.' **_Reimei took the time to glance around the arena and noticed that the ice was quickly melting away and even evaporating into the air.

'_Time for plan B.' _

"Banshō issai kaijin to nase, Ryūjin Jakka. (All things in the universe, turn to ashes, Flowing flame blade). ",announced Yamamoto, raising his zanpakuto. Reimei faultered in her steps as she felt his reiatsu increasing immensely.

'_It feels like a whole ton of bricks are placed on my shoulders...'_ The raven-violet haired girl thought, gritting her teeth as she struggled to remain standing. Perspiration slowly slid down her forehead, she noticed that the heat from the fire-based zanpakuto was also increasing.

'_Ready when you are kid.'_ Spoke the black dragon in her thoughts. Reimei only nodded and unsheathed the black blade from behind her back with a free hand. Taking in a deep breath, called out to her blade.

"Bringer of Twilight, Master of Darkness, Ruler of Eternal Night, Come Forth! Bankai: Akai Tsukuyomi!(Red Moon Reader)." A cloud of a dark aura swirled around Reimei's feet and the black blade thickened in her grip. Her pastel blue Tsumetai Kaze outfit immediately faded into much darker colours, matching her new summoned blade.

A silhouette of a black dragon with bright red eyes emerged from behind the small girl who held out it's blade towards the flames of Yamamoto-soutaicho. The pastel blue blade of Tsumetai Kaze still remained intact in Reimei's other hand. Both shinigamis stared each other down before they both leapt at each other, sword drawn back and ready to strike.

The impact of the clashing blades caused a massive shockwave and everyone who was watching was jerked back in their seats. Reimei jumped back and raising both of her blades; she crossed them over in an 'x' position.

"Hyouton: Kokuryuu Boufuusetsu! (Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard Outburst)" The black blade released a dark, shadowy mist from the tip of its blade while the pastel blue one released a stream of ice. As both blades poured out energy, Reimei uncrossed the swords and directed both in front her. The two streams of energy intertwined with each other before merging into a shape of a large black ice dragon, its appearance similar to Tsukuyomi.

It gave a massive roar before charging head on to Yamamoto. The captain-commander held his ground and lifted his zanpakuto, fire leaking around him in massive waves but it didn't stop the black dragon. Reimei could've sworn that Yamamoto was surprised because the heat didn't melt the dragon yet. She smirked at this.

'_It's not only made of ice, but also dark energy.'_

The captain-commander finally made a move to dodge the dragon just as it was inches away from ripping his head off. Instead, the captain-commander headed straight for Reimei, ignoring the dragon that had reared back and was now trailing behind him. The raven-violet haired girl flash stepped out of the way but Yamamoto was still hot on her tails, ready to strike. The massive dragon however, made no move to stop and crashed right into the walls underneath the tower where the captains and lieutenants were.

Everyone from inside the tower stumbled back from the impact and fought to regain their balance. Hitsugaya finally caught his balance by pressing a hand against the glass window, taking the moment to glance down at the battle. In the midst of rubble and smoke, he noticed the black dragon uncoiling itself from the wall and giving one massive roar of anger, chased after the two fighters again. Shifting his eyes from the dragon, Hitsugaya caught the captain-commander and Reimei not far away clashing swords viciously, still sending out massive amounts of energy with each strike.

Reimei was losing a lot of her strength with every blow she's taken from the captain-commander. As she reared back to meet another strike, she was immediately forced back and went crashing into a wall. She shakily drew in a breath, trying her best to ignore the severing pain on her back.

'_**Mistress! Are you alright?!'**_ asked the blue ice phoenix frantically.

Reimei could only nod her head stiffly and with a grunt, she forced herself to stand up in the small impact crater she created. Glancing up, she noticed that the black dragon was dueling it out with the captain-commander. She sighed mentally, thankful that the captain-commander was distracted from taking the final blow on her. Leaping high into the air, she swung out Tsukuyomi's blade and forced her lungs to scream out an attack.

"Kokuangyō! (Bringer of darkness)" The blade pulsed and then slowly darkness seeped out of the blade, sucking in whatever life existed and enveloping it in its dark cloak. Yamamoto had only just fended off the black dragon before noticing the darkness that consumed the entire stadium like a black hole. Soon he found himself trapped, unable to see his enemy but being well-experienced in the battle field, he remained calm; slowly adapting by increasing his other senses.

Closing his eyes in concentration, Yamamoto carefully listened for any signs of approaching footsteps. What surprised him were the thundering footsteps that echoed throughout the entire surrounding. A low growl accompanied the footsteps, signifying that the black ice dragon was still lurking around.

The captain-commander remained still and silence, the growling ceased and with a quick flick of his sword he finally attacked.

"Jōkaku enjō! (Fortress blaze)" The darkness quickly vanished and a sphere of flame lit brightly not far from where the captain-commander stood.

**With Hitsugaya**

Hitsugaya blinked his eyes a few times before finally realizing that the darkness that once surrounded the stadium was gone. Snapping out of his daze, he quickly averted his gaze to the arena below. He let out a gasp at what he saw.

The captain-commander was standing not far away from looks to be a sphere made out of flames. On closer inspection, what the young captain saw faintly inside caused him to panic.

Reimei was trapped within the sphere of flames; she looked exhausted and was bleeding in numerous places from what Hitsugaya could see. Her two zanpakuto lay a few meters away. He felt his lieutenant come up beside him and she was equally shocked as he was.

"Reimei..." Was all Matsumoto could utter out. Hitsugaya gritted his teeth, clenching his fist and glaring down at the captain-commander. He couldn't take it anymore and without a second thought, he dashed towards the tower exit.

"Taicho?!" exclaimed Matsumoto shocked as all the captains and lieutenants watched Hitsugaya rush out. She scanned the room nervously as everyone who was present gave her a questioning look except for a couple of people. Matsumoto bit her bottom lip before dashing out after her captain.

**Back down in the arena**

The captain-commander slowly lowered his zanpakuto and started to approach the captured raven-violet haired girl. She was still conscious but was glaring angrily at him. Reimei's glare faltered a bit as she winced in pain from the heat that was licking at her skin.

"You have put up quite a fight Tanaka-san, I'm surprised at how strong you've grown." Spoke the captain-commander calmly as he stood in front of her, "But like I have said before, you're punishment will not go unheard."

Raising his sword again, Yamamoto prepared to deliver the final blow, "My deepest apologies, Tanaka-san." Flash stepping towards the sphere; he brought down his zanpakuto in a mighty swing.

"STOP!" ,came a shout that pierced through the stadium. The sound of clashing metal followed soon afterwards and everyone stared in utter shock.

The captain-commander was appalled and shocked just as everyone was as he stared back at sea-green eyes that were in front of him.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, what is the meaning of this?"

Gritting his teeth, Hitsugaya forced all his strength to push away the captain-commander who landed a fair distance away from him. He held up Hyourinmaru defensively as he stood in front of the flame prison.

"I...I can't let you kill her!" Was his retort. Even though he actually stood up against the captain-commander of the Gotei 13 -despite the fact that this was the last thing any one would want to do- Hitsugaya stood fearlessly in front of him.

Taken aback, Yamamoto furrowed his brows at the young captain.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, do you have any idea what you are doing?"

"Actually...I do." replied Hitsugaya strongly, "With all do respect; I can't let someone kill someone who's innocent in the first place, even if it is you, Yamamoto-soutaicho."

Descending from the last few steps of the tower, Matsumoto panted breathlessly as she finally reached the arena. Though the situation was beyond serious, she couldn't help but smile.

'_Way to go, Hitsugaya-taicho!'_

Reimei watched with widen eyes as she stared at the back of Hitsugaya.

'_When he said things were going bad on my side of the fight, he wasn't joking about stepping in if he had to.'_

_'__**It's because he loves you.'**_

'_But he'll get in trouble!'_

_'__He wouldn't be standing there just to chicken out. I've fought that kid, he's stubborn just like you.'_

'_Heh...I guess...'_ A small smile crept on Reimei's lips, '_But I gotta get out of this sphere! It's burning hot_!'

'_I think our friend should be back in a few minutes...'_

Reimei peered down at what was in front of her; it appears that Hitsugaya and the captain-commander were still arguing.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, you will be severely punished for this. Do you understand that you can be stripped from your title as captain?"

"I don't care what happens to me, I'm not letting you come any closer."

"...My apologies then, Hitsugaya-taicho. I have no choice but to put you in the same faith as Tanaka-san." Hitsugaya tensed and gripped onto the hilt of his zanpakuto tighter.

'_This is it...' _thought Hitsugaya as he kept a steady glare on Yamamoto.

"Taicho! Look out above you!", shouted Matsumoto. Alarmed, Reimei, Hitsugaya and Yamamoto jerked their heads upward. Everyone soon followed to find that something was dropping towards them at a fast rate. Once it was close enough to be recognizable, shouts and gasps of horror sounded throughout the stadium.

"No...It can't be..." whispered Hitsugaya, his sea-green eyes shone with shock.

**What you think he saw? Well I know :D u just havta wait but plz R&R! Ps. I suck at fighting scenes **


	27. It's a Battle Royal!

**Vietvn: Woww I actually finished this chapter no sweat :O! Well here it is! the next chapter :D Hope its not too disappointing**

**Just a little extra, here's what Reimei's outfit looks like for when she's in her bankai for Tsukuyomi: i214./albums/cc215/TeresheaMae/normalanimegirl4088.jpg**

**Just add h t t p : / in the beginning (make them together, i did it seperate cuz the thing wont let me display it DX)**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter Twenty-seven: It's a Battle Royal!**

Hitsugaya's piercing eyes were indeed shocked at what he saw but slowly, it melted away and was replaced by anger.

Plummeting towards them was a massive hollow. Dirt and dust flew from the ground as the giant hollow landed with a crash on all four. Hitsugaya, Yamamoto and Reimei had narrowly missed getting squished by the monster. It raised its head and stood on its hind legs, stretching to its fullest height. Reimei stared up with widened eyes as it nearly towered over the stadium itself.

The hollow had on the signature white mask but it was shaped into what looked like a cross between a hawk and a bull with a single horn protruding at the top. Its body was muscular and its skin was covered in dark blue scales that reflected the sun's light. The claws of the hollow were razor sharp and were gold and finally it had wings that were brightly coloured in red, orange, gold and navy blue with a long reptilian tail.

The rest of the captains and lieutenants had rushed down to the arena; they all stared up at the massive creature with their mouths hanging agape. Hitsugaya took small steps back from the foot of the massive creature, still sticking close to Reimei who was still trapped in her fiery prison.

By then, most of the shinigamis in the audience had made it out of the stadium, only a few handful of seated officers gathered where their captain and lieutenant was standing, waiting patiently for orders. High above on the broad shoulders of the hollow, an evil laughter filled the air. It was filled with amusement and was also very familiar.

The captains and lieutenants craned their necks up and what they saw made some gasp out in shock. Cladded in the white version of the shinigami robes but with a jacket over it was none other than...

"Aizen..." ,seethed Hitsugaya through clenched teeth. The former captain stood arms crossed over his chest with a smirk playing on his lips. Beside him were two espadas, they were easily recognized being Ulquiorra Schiffer and Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. The giant hollow they were standing on raised one of its clawed hands up to Aizen with its palm facing upwards. Aizen stepped onto the offered hand followed by the two espadas and slowly the hollow beast lowered them closer to the ground where the shinigamis were standing. The hand stopped just a bit above everyone's heads so Aizen had the pleasure of looking down on them as he talked.

"My, my. You've started quite an entertaining event and yet you don't invite me?"

"Aizen Sosuke, what gives you any right to be here in Soul Society again?" Yamamoto shot back, glaring at Aizen though on the outside he seems rather calm. Aizen only scoffed and scanned his eyes amongst the rest of the shinigamis gathered. His eyes soon rested near the back on the glowing fire orb that Reimei was in and beside it stood Hitsugaya. As soon as Aizen attention was directed towards him, Hitsugaya's glare got even fiercer if that was possible. If looks could kill, Hitsugaya would probably be replacing Kenpachi soon.

"And what were you doing to my dear Reimei-chan here? She looks awfully abused by you shinigamis." Aizen said airily, looking back at the sou-taicho who still kept a steady eye on the former captain. The two espadas beside Aizen were looking rather bored than entertained like Aizen. Ulquiorra, as usual, had his hands stuffed in the pockets of his shihakusho pants and was just eyeing the crowd with little expression. Grimmjow showed more disinterest out of the two; his hands were in his pockets also except he was more slouched back, leaning against the fingers of the hollow.

"She has made the mistake of coming back to us after following you with your betrayal. But at least she has some sense of honor to come back and take on the consequences she has made on herself." As soon as Yamamoto said the sentence, Aizen started to chuckle lowly to himself but then he bursted out laughing. To Reimei, his laugh of amusement wasn't any different than his evil laugh. The sou-taicho was still rather calm about the whole thing and patiently waited for Aizen to finish.

"My, I should be the one to decide the punishment of Tanaka Reimei. It seems that we have both been double-crossed by this little witch over here..." Aizen gestured towards Reimei and in turn everyone else gasped in shock before turning their attention towards the flaming orb.

Hitsugaya turned slightly to Reimei as she stared back at all of the surprised shinigamis. Sighing, she only managed a half smile in hopes of shaking their attention back to Aizen in the front.

"Is...Is that true?" spoke up Ukitake as he still eyed Reimei. The raven-violet haired girl made a move to speak but then thought otherwise as hot air sucked into her lungs. It restricted her from breathing and she flinched and fought back to regain control of her weary body.

"Sou-taicho, she needs to get out of there **now**." Hitsugaya said, turning to the sou-taicho with a firm gaze. Yamamoto in turn, with hesitation; waved a hand over his zanpakuto and the fire sphere bursted apart. Reimei collapsed, worn out and was about to hit the ground before Hitsugaya side stepped in and caught her. She rested her head against his shoulder, taking in the much cooler air into her system in hopes of cooling down.

"Tanaka-san's betrayal on Soul Society was falsely done."came a soft voice but it spoke out strong. Everyone's attention turned to the fourth division captain, who stood calmly facing Reimei as she spoke, "She has only made us believe that we've been deceived by her because she intended to spy on Aizen Sosuke. The information passed onto us earlier about the making of another Royal key lead back to her." The shinigamis all whispered amongst themselves, surprised and shocked at this new information.

"Hmph, so that was your true objective Tanaka?" asked Aizen from the front, "How very loyal of you, risking your life for the likes of Soul Society." His expression changed from a calm one to that of displeasure, "It's a pity that Soul Society wouldn't be in existence from this day on. Yamamoto-soutaicho," He turned to the captain-commander and with a smirk on his face, he patted the thumb of the giant hollow.

"Hope you wouldn't mind me testing this latest creation of mine here."

"Aizen..", seethed the sou-taicho and he flash stepped to the former captain, zanpakuto raised and was just about to slash down on him when the hollow gave a mighty roar and started thrashing around the stadium. Aizen and the two espadas had jumped just in time to avoid the chaos.

"Perhaps its time for us to take out leave, the shinigamis have got a lot on their hands now." smirked Aizen as he stared down at the hollow as it started to tear down the stadium.

"I came here looking for a good fight with a certain person. And you dragged me here just to watch?!" scowled Grimmjow before he glared at Aizen and departed on his own way. The two that remained opened a portal back to Hueco Mundo and slipped through it without another word or care.

Back down in the stadium, the shinigami captains have all released their zanpakutos and were trying their best to fight against the giant beast. The flames of Yamamoto's zanpakuto had engulfed the area around the hollow while other elements of different zanpakuto mixed in; everything was more chaotic thanks to Kenpachi and his division who have now gone into a fighting frenzy. Hitsugaya had flash stepped out of the way just in time to get Reimei to safety.

"You stay here, you're too injured to fight." said Hitsugaya.

"But I can still move you know." argued Reimei as she was about to stand back up again.

"No! You'll only get killed out there!"

"What do you take me for?!" Hitsugaya glared at the girl in front of him, he was only trying to make her stay out of this fight so she won't get killed. But he soon realized that she was too stubborn to just sit in one place quietly.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, Tanaka-san." called a soft voice. Both of them turned their heads to see an approaching Unohana-taicho.

"If I may offer a solution to this problem then perhaps Hitsugaya-taicho you'll be at ease to let Tanaka-san fight?" Hitsugaya blinked in confusion at the fourth division captain before turning back to Reimei who had a pout on her face.

"I...I guess..." The raven-violet haired girl smiled and nodded to Unohana-taicho.

"I'm guessing you're gonna heal me right?" The medic captain nodded and took out her zanpakuto and began the healing process. After a few minutes, Reimei felt re-energized. She stood up and turned to Hitsugaya.

"Well? C'mon! We don't want everyone to have all the fun!"

"This is rather serious Reimei considering the fact that we have a rogue hollow the size of a stadium trying to destroy Soul Society." Hitsugaya replied with a scowl. She rubbed the back of her neck and then without a word dashed out towards the chaos.

"Oi! Wait!" shouted Hitsugaya as he followed Reimei. Unohana-taicho watched with a small smile on her face.

'_I knew they would get together at some point...Young love...'_

"Taicho!" exclaimed Isane.

"Isane-san, we'll be in charge of healing injured shinigamis. If you please; find a spot where we can safely bring shinigamis to heal."

Isane blinked for a few moments before comprehending what her captain had just said. With a nod, she sped off to do as she was told while Unohana flash stepped off to help others in need.

Reimei had just entered the arena and already she was trying desperately to avoid getting stomped on. Scanning around the ground, she finally spotted her abandoned zanpakutos. She raced towards them, quickly scooping both up and flash stepping to a spot where she can get a clear view of the hollow.

'_What took you so long?!'_

_'Sorry!'_

_'__I could've gotten squished!'_

_'I know!'_

_'__**Shut up! We need to get to the head of this thing before it tramples all of us soon!'**_

_'Right, where's that blasted dragon?!'_

As if on cue, the black ice dragon created earlier zoomed past her and she barely had any time to grab on to the beast. Reimei clung onto the dragon for dear life as it sped and weaved around the many parts of the hollow. She steadily began to stand up on the back of the dragon and began to attack the hollow's forehead just as she sped past it, narrowly missing its sharp teeth. The hollow gave a startled roar from Reimei's blade and began to swipe at the black dragon. Reimei stumbled and fought to keep her balance, flailing her arms around eccentrically.

Finally steadying herself, the black dragon rounded back and the both of them attacked the hollow at the same time; the dragon clawing and biting while Reimei slashed.

"Daikamaitachi!" The burst of wind howled towards the hollow's head, causing minor scratches on the side of its face. That only seemed to anger it as it thrashed at her violently. The black ice dragon weaved around the massive claws but was soon caught in them and was shattered into pieces. Reimei plummeted towards the ground but just as she was about to escape from her falling death, she was jerked upwards by arms wrapping securely around her waist. She didn't need to think twice before knowing who it was.

"Thanks Toushiro!" She exclaimed over the noise, looking up at the white haired captain who was gliding around with ice wings on his own.

"Can't you be a little more careful?" scowled Hitsugaya.

"Sorry but I was in the middle of saving my own butt back there before you came, I had everything under control. Now drop me."

"What?! Are you crazy?"

"You've seem to have forgotten from out last battle." Reimei said, looking at him knowingly. Hitsugaya glanced down at her before realizing what she meant.

"Fine, but I better not find you with Unohana again and half dead." Afterwards, Hitsugaya let her slip through his grasp and he watched her fall for a few seconds before Reimei sprouted her own pair of wings. They were made of ice just like Hitsugaya except they were constantly shining from black to blue and they were almost feathery looking. She took off from hovering in the air and began to attack the hollow again along side Hitsugaya.

"Ice Phoenix Wind Blade!"

"Ryūsenka! (Dragon Hail Flower)" Both ice attacks managed to freeze part of the hollows face. The hollow roared and opened its mouth, emitting a red glow from it.

"Cero attack!" exclaimed Reimei in panic. Everyone from below glanced above and most of the captains quickly flash stepped to the head of the hollow to stop it from firing its cero.

Just as it was about to fire, Yamamoto appeared in front of it in a blur and brought down his zanpakuto on the mouth of the beast. The cero broke apart and the hollow's head jerked back from the force. Before it could rear back to attack Yamamoto, the captain-commander had already disappeared and Ikakku came charging in for an attack.

"You damn beast! Just die already!" He shouted frustratingly as he slashed at the hollow. It gave off a howl of pain before thrashing around again. The stadium had basically been destroyed and all was left was broken cement and rubble.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" From above, a blast of dark energy was released and had hit the hollow on top of its head. It gave an angered growl and glanced up at the source. Everyone followed suit and soon found an orange haired shinigami plummeting towards the hollow, sword directed to its head.

"Ichigo!" exclaimed Reimei, surprised. Ichigo, now in his ban kai form, drove the sword into the hollow's neck base from behind. With a mighty roar, the hollow started to thrash like a bucking bull; trying to shake the substitute shinigami off. It soon succeeded and flung Ichigo from his place on the hollow. Ichigo jumped off and skidded to a stop in mid-air, standing on the spirit particles of the air.

"What are you doing here?" asked Hitsugaya as he came up beside Ichigo.

"I thought you'll be needing some back up to get Reimei out of her execution but I see you've got other problems too." replied Ichigo, resting Zangetsu on his shoulders.

"I would've handled the situation fine on my own Kurosaki." retorted Hitsugaya. Ichigo just scoffed, a smirk on his face.

"So uhh, who's the big guy here?" asked Ichigo as he dodged a swinging claw.

"A present left from Aizen." spat Hitsugaya as if the mere name was poison.

"Oh, go figure..." replied Ichigo as he charged in to attack the hollow. Hitsugaya followed afterwards with Reimei trailing behind. The battle between the hollow and shinigamis continued on violently. No matter how many hits the hollow took, it was still standing.

"Ryūsenka!" Hitsugaya dashed towards the hollow and slashed down on its head, even though a section of it froze over, the hollow still shook off the ice and swiped Hitsugaya away. The young captain was sent plummeting to the ground but managed to break his fall by extending his wings. He stopped in mid fall in a hover before taking off towards the hollow again, coming up beside Reimei who had just been head butted by the hollow.

"Ugh! I'm starting to get tired of this!" She complained while panting. Indeed this fight has proven to be a test for their stamina, most of the shinigamis were battered and beaten but were still forcing themselves to keep the beast from wandering further into Soul Society. The young captain glanced up at the remaining flowers hovering behind him. Five petals remained and the fifth was slowly starting to melt away. He gritted his teeth. It won't be long before his ban kai breaks even though he could easily re-generate it. It would take a while to do so.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he managed to catch Reimei being thrown back before the hollow started to gather energy at the tip of its horn. It wasn't a cero attack but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's not as dangerous. Hitsugaya's eyes widened as the orb of energy was shot from the horn and went shooting towards Reimei who was just getting up from a crater of rubble.

"REIMEI!" Hitsugaya shouted alarmed, he quickly evaded the swiping claws of the hollow to race quickly towards Reimei who by now noticed the deadly energy blast. The young captain knew that he wouldn't make it in time and his fear was proven right when the attack came to meet its target.

A flash of blinding white light erupted and soon after the attack had been absorbed. Smoke and dust obscured Hitsugaya's vision but as it began to clear away, he saw the thin silhouette of Reimei's wings folded over her as a shield.

Unfolding her wings, Reimei looked around puzzled as to why she wasn't burned into a crisp.

"Reimei you idiot!" shouted Hitsugaya as he came up to her. Ignoring his scowling, Reimei scanned her body in hopes of finding the source. Her fingers grazed over a chain dangling around her wrist along with the small crystal that was attached to it. It was glowing brightly than ever as she took it out from her sleeves.

"Woah," breathed Reimei as she examined the crystal. Hitsugaya stared at the small crystal in her hands and was also intrigued by the glow.

"That's..."

"I think this thing can suck in anything." suggested Reimei," Because it sucked in that cero attack."

"Oi!" Ichigo appeared beside the two, panting and just as battered looking as they were, "If that thing can suck in powerful attacks, do you think that maybe it has a way to release it back?"

"I don't know. But it would be helpful if it did." replied Reimei. A blast of strong wind enveloped the whole arena, dust and dirt flew from the ground as the hollow's wings opened and it began to beat strongly. The hollow took off into the air, a red glow forming in its mouth as it went.

"It's gonna try to destroy everyone with that cero if we don't stop it!" shouted Reimei, stepping forward from the pile of rubble.

"More like the whole of Soul Society." said Ichigo as he and Hitsugaya came up beside her. Reimei looked to the sky and down at the crystal, an idea forming in her mind.

"Ichigo,"

"Yeah?"

"You know how this crystal can absorb things?" Ichigo glanced at her, puzzled at first where this was going but then remembered back at what he suggested. Smirking, he held up Zangetsu.

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then it's worth a shot!" Reimei nodded while Hitsugaya looked at her still confused. She turned to the white haired captain and showed him the crystal.

"It's a beautiful present Toushiro, but I think I might need to break this." Hitsugaya took a moment to figure out what she was planning before realization washed over him. He closed his eyes, a smirk on his face.

"Fine, I'll just have to get you a new one then."

"Let's go!" shouted Ichigo. Reimei nodded.

"On my signal!" Ichigo nodded and raced back down towards the group of shinigamis below. Reimei turned towards Hitsugaya, a smirk also playing on her lips.

"Ready?"

"I'll race you there." was Hitsugaya's reply before taking off, Reimei shot off following him and the two raced towards the skies above.

**Wowww :O Total chaos! And how's Reimei and Toushiro gonna end this battle? Well R&R And I'll get bak with another chapter soon! :D**


	28. And Yet You Still Love Me

**Vietvn: OKAYYYS! This has got to be by far the longest chapter I've ever written but that's only because...dramatic pause This is the end. Yes, this is the end chapter for this storyy! But I'm planning on making a small epilogue and I'm pretty sure there'll be a sequel to this because of bleach movie 2; DiamondDust Rebellion :P But when I write the story, I'll be sure to probably change the story a bit, depending on how good the movie plot is. Actually no I'll find some way to make it my own story :D, I wanna be director for once XD; don't want to plagiarize.**

**Anyways yeah I'll stop talking now. Here's the next chapter, sorry if I missed like a few grammer mistakes because again, I was sort of out of it when I was typing this.**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: And Yet You Still Love Me**

Reimei and Hitsugaya raced towards the hollow, fighting against the pressure that was pushing them down by flapping their ice wings harder. It was literally a race against time and it seemed like they've been flying forever before Reimei decided it was time to get her plan working. Facing towards the ground from her darting position going upwards, she took the crystal and held it against the sun's ray. The crystal reflected off against the light and she aimed it downwards, all in the while continuing to beat her wings.

"Hopefully he'll catch this..." She muttered. Hitsugaya had slowed down his flying pace to be just a little ahead of her.

Down below, Ichigo squinted his eyes while craning his neck towards the sky to see whatever signs Reimei would give for the signal. After a moment of searching, he got a glimpse of what someone might've mistaken as a star shining in broad daylight. But of course, Ichigo knew exactly what it was and smirked once he saw it.

"Okay! Everyone aim towards that shining spot in the sky!"

"Got it!" Everyone raised their zanpakutos and each released a burst of energy towards the target above. All the attacks flew upwards, leaving behind a series of colourful streams.

"Okay here it comes!" Shouted Reimei, watching as the sparkle of energy became brighter as it drew nearer. Holding the crystal in front of her, she closed her eyes hoping that the attacks would all be sucked in without her having to activate anything on the charm. The blast of energy from below finally made contact with the crystal and it soon began to absorb everything in.

Reimei felt the force of the energy push her upwards, giving her an extra boost as she flapped her wings. She nearly missed grabbing onto the surprised captain's wrist beside her, pulling him up along the way. Once all of the energy was absorbed, the crystal's glow grew ten times brighter. By now, the giant hollow was close enough for Reimei and Hitsugaya to attack.

"It's firing the cero!" exclaimed Hitsugaya. Reimei glanced up and sure enough, a giant ball of red light was coming down on top of them. Grasping the bracelet, Reimei brought up her zanpakuto along with Hitsugaya and the cero crashed against their swords. They both fought to keep it back but slowly they began to pass through it.

The soon found themselves within the cero attack, still fighting to break through in one piece.

"We're..not going to make it..." grunted Reimei, her arms growing weary from pushing against the immense pressure and gripping her zanpakuto so tightly.

"Well...Not like we had a choice. It's either this plan succeeds or we'll die trying..." replied the captain beside her, also fighting fiercely to break through.

Reimei made a noise of annoyance in response as she glared ahead of her; they were almost there, specks of blue sky were starting to appear and she nearly screamed out in joy. Glancing down at her wrist, the rhombus shaped crystal began to glow insanely bright, almost to the point of blinding its owner. With a sudden burst of light, the cero attack disintegrated and Reimei had to do a double take before noticing the hollow's massive face was in front of her.

But she was jerked out of her daze when the crystal started to grow hot against her skin, still brightly glowing.

"Gah!" Without much of second thought, the raven-violet haired girl ripped the bracelet from around her wrist and with a mighty swing from her arm, sent the time bomb towards the roaring hollow. The glowing stopped only to be replaced by what Reimei thought was an atomic explosion. The condensed energy within the crystal bursted out all at once and soon it consumed the entire hollow in a bright light. Hitsugaya and Reimei held up their arms defensively as the shockwave pushed them back, shattering their ice wings in the process.

The light faded and the hollow was no where to be seen. Lowering her arms, Reimei glanced around in a daze before her bankai outfit slowly started to disintegrate in feathers, leaving her back in her old outfit. Her vision started to blur and it made her dizzy just keeping her eyes open; slowly her heavy body fell back and she went plummeting towards the ground in a free fall.

The wind howled pass her as Reimei fell, not caring whether she'll probably die from the fall. She was just too tired to care. Her half lidded eyes glanced around for the white haired captain and soon spotted him just beside her, eyes closed and also letting the world go by him as he fell.

The ground below neared them as they continued to fall but Reimei never had the chance to see what happened before she let her consciousness slip, entering into a world of darkness.

**Reimei's POV**

My eyes still felt heavy but I forced them opened which surprised me. The last time I was awake I was falling from a thousand so meters to my death and yet, I'm alive, breathing and contemplating to myself.

"_**Thanks to me." **_came a rather feminine voice in my head. I shut my eyes momentarily before opening them fully; of course I knew who that voice was.

'_Thanks Tsumetai Kaze.' _I said to the phoenix greatly. She chirped in response and I began to force myself to sit up, spotting my two zanpakutos not to far from me. Glancing to the right of me, I spotted Toushiro stirring and his eyes slowly began to flicker open also; revealing his sea-green orbs. He gave a slight moan before sitting up slowly. I smiled and rolled my eyes, he's probably thinking why his body feels like he's just had a ton of bricks thrown at him. I saw his gaze turn towards me and I flashed him a smile.

"Good to see you're awake and in one piece." I said. He huffed a bit, his signature smirk appearing on his face.

"Same goes to you, though I don't feel the best." I sighed and shrugged as if saying he didn't really have a choice. Toushiro let out a heavy sigh, observing what was around him. Apparently we hadn't landed back in the stadium, or what remained of it. Instead we were somewhere off in a clearing in the middle of a forest. I assumed it was a secluded training area. After looking around and getting the feel of where we were, Toushiro and I continued to remain on the ground. I was still sitting because I was just too lazy to get up and walk back to the stadium where everyone else was. Toushiro on the other hand, I wasn't so sure but I'm pretty sure he was just as tired as I was.

It was silent before Toushiro spoke.

"We should get going." I let my shoulders slump down, I really didn't want to walk all the way back to the stadium. I watched Toushiro get up, dusting loose dirt off of his shihakusho and strapping Hyourinmaru back onto his back. He then turned to me, expecting me to get up but that was not happening. I stared back at him, blinking but not getting up. He sighed, realizing I wasn't going to get up any time soon. So with a sigh, he sauntered over to me and offered me a hand up. I still made no sign to take it, I just stared at him.

"You know I wasn't planning on heading back to the stadium." He said as if reading my mind.

At that my ears perked and I blinked at him questioningly.

"I'd rather be sleeping then make my way back to them and this is the only chance to escape that." I giggled before taking his outstretched hand. He hauled me up, a familiar smirk on his face.

"Good to know we're on the same page." I said smiling. I dusted myself as best as I could from the dirt before grabbing my two zanpakutos and trailed after Toushiro who had began to walk ahead of me.

"_Baka, who would want to go back to the stadium when it's almost night?"_ I stopped abruptly at what Tsukuyomi said. I glanced up at the sky and saw that he was right, the sun had just dipped below the horizon and stars had began to appear.

'_He didn't just do what I think he did...'_ I seethed in my thoughts, whipping my gaze back to Toushiro who was still walking.

"_**I think he did..."**_ giggled Tsumetai Kaze.

"HEY!" I shouted at him before sprinting to catch up with Toushiro but he just gave me a side glance, smirked and disappeared suddenly by flash stepping. I felt my mouth drop open, that sneaky little...

I flash stepped right after him, determined to catch the snowball and make him feel my wrath. I stopped before the tenth division entrance and took no time stomping in to the office. He's going to pay for making me run when I was so damn tired. I reached the door and slammed it open but there was no one there. I scanned the room; where the hell was that snowman?!

Growling I was just about to turn around and turn the whole division upside down but I narrowly missed crashing into someone. I stumbled back and found it was the lieutenant.

"REIMEI!" she exclaimed before embracing me, "YOU'RE NOT DEAD!" I struggled in her grip, she was squishing me like I was plushy but apparently a plushy has no bones, I do.

"M-Matsumoto...Air..."I gasped.

"Whoops, sorry." The strawberry blonde woman finally released her arms around me and placed me down. I took a moment to compose myself before speaking to her.

"Yes, I'm not dead and the same goes for Toushiro." At the name, I immediately remembered that that snowman had made me run all the way from the forest to the division when I was on the verge of fainting again from exhaustion, "Where is that snowman?!" I shouted suddenly, looking around and peering into the hallway where Matsumoto stood. She looked at me puzzled before laughing out loudly.

"I saw him just a few minutes ago; he went to take a shower."

"A SHOWER?!" I exclaimed incredulously. I had planned from the very beginning that I, Tanaka Reimei, will take a shower first! But NO, **someone **got there first by distracting me.

Matsumoto continued to laugh as I was still fuming. She dragged me to the couch and sat me down beside her.

"Rei-chan, you're so funny when it comes to taicho." Matsumoto sighed, calming down from her hysterics. I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I'll get him, don't worry."

The lieutenant giggled before her expression changed into a somewhat more serious one. I noticed and that really surprised me. I looked at her confusingly.

"Is..something wrong Matsumoto-san?"

"Rei-chan, the sou-taicho still hasn't let you off the hook you know." I slumped my shoulders, unfolding my arms. Figures; the old man was stubborn when it comes to these matters yet I was so sure that he would let me slip by.

"So he's still going to try and chop my head off huh?" I sighed. Ah well, I'll just have to go through with it...again.

"I'm not sure about that part, I mean even Aizen said you betrayed him to get information to Soul Society about his plans so there's no denying that you're innocent. It's just..." I looked up, surprised once again. There was something else? Wow, maybe I should've taken Toushiro more seriously when he said that I was being reckless. I urged the lieutenant to continue.

"There's a rule that goes for mostly everyone who's part of the Gotei 13 but I think it only applies to the higher ranks. It's that captains and lieutenants can't have a relationship with someone who's amongst the Gotei 13 or are of lower rank. It's considered to be a taboo."

I took a moment to process what she just told me. So I'm not allowed to fall in love with any of the Gotei 13 captains or lieutenant. And yet, my situation is just that; I have already fallen in love with a Gotei 13 shinigami, a captain at that too. I blew my front bangs in exasperation; this guy just loves to find excuses to get me executed but I should've figured.

"Does the old man know already?" I asked, looking at Matsumoto. She shook her head.

"But I think he got suspicious, especially after taicho jumped in during your duel against him to save you." Haha, more reasons to beat up Toushiro when he shows up.

The doors to the office slid open and speak of the devil, here he was now. I narrowed my eyes, watching him come in still drying his snow white hair before noticing Matsumoto and I.

"Konbanwa taicho!" greeted Matsumoto with a sing song voice.

"Konbanwa." He replied back. Matsumoto shifted her gaze from me to her taicho, noticing I was glaring at him. I heard her stifling a giggle before sauntering out of the room.

"Anyways! It's been a long day so I'll just sleep now! Goodnight!"

Once she left, Toushiro glanced towards me; a smirk starting to form on his face already, "And I see someone finally made it back."

I laughed dryly before speaking, "YOU! You made me run all the way back here when we just defeated a hollow the size of a stadium! And when I get here I find YOU had already run off to take a shower!"

"Well we weren't going to make it back here any time faster if I hadn't got you motivated somehow to run." He said casually, STILL smirking. That stupid smirk just makes me wanna slap it off of his pretty face. I crossed my arms, pouting.

"You're cruel..."I mumbled.

"But you still love me." countered Toushiro, placing the towel on the couch. His hair was still slightly damp, making it less spiky than it usually was. It actually made him look good. I looked at him before a smirk of my own formed on my lips.

"Fine, two can play at that game." I said, getting up and going up to him. He blinked confusedly at me but I just continued to smirk even though I found that it was adorable.

"Since you left me to run while I was dead tired and feeling like I got ran over by something AND took a shower when I was suppose to first, I'm not going to sleep with you." I nearly laughed when I saw his face. He was in absolute shock; eyes widened and mouth dropped open, it was hilarious. I turned on my heels and almost skipped to the door.

"Anyways! I'll go take a shower now. So night Toushiro! Aishiteru" I giggled before opening the door. Once I did, Matsumoto was behind it, grinning like a madwoman. I shook my head at her, still smiling at what I accomplished before walking past her.

"She got you good taicho." I heard Matsumoto teased.

"U-Urusai!" was the reply from Toushiro, I laughed quietly to myself before going towards the shared room I had with Matsumoto. I took a towel with me, set down my zanpakutos and looked around; trying to find something to replace the dirty clothes I was wearing now. I went over to the closet and slid it open; Matsumoto's stuff was on one side while mine was on the other. I looked over at my side only finding the spare black shihakusho I wore one time during my stay in Seireitei.

Wow, I need to go shopping I thought.I sighed, picking up the black robes before heading over to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door before taking a shower.

After the nice, long shower, I finally opened the door, letting the steam seep out in wisps of clouds. I felt a lot better and fresher now and that made me happy. I dried my wet hair and pulled out my futon before collapsing on it in a deep sleep.

Morning came and it seemed like I haven't slept long at all. I glanced beside me, expecting to see Matsumoto still snoring but she wasn't any where in the room. That lady surprises me a lot these days. But anyways, I knew what was coming ahead of me for today. Probably a hell butterfly has been sent to all of the captains, telling them that there would be a meeting about me and of course I was to show because I would've been informed by Toushiro if that was the case.

Ugh, I'll just sleep longer then. I settled back in my futon, buried myself in the blanket and flipped to my side so that my back was facing the door, trying my best to block out the sunlight that was seeping through the window. It wasn't even five minutes before I heard the door to the room slide open but I still kept my eyes closed, feigning sleep. A hand shook my shoulder lightly but I still kept still.

"Reimei..." A voice called softly. I knew who it was, I just thought about him a few moments ago. He called my name again but I just groaned. I heard a sigh of exasperation before he spoke again.

"I know you're awake,"

I grunted.

"There's a captain's meeting later today, I'm sure you know what it's about." I peered my eyes open, letting a sigh escape my lips. Really, I just wanted to sleep. I sat up, hugging the pillow as I stared back at Toushiro who was sitting beside me. He looked amused, the same smirk playing on his lips.

"What'd I do this time?" I muttered my voice still raspy from waking up.

"Matsumoto said he might be suspicious about 'us.' "Of course; taboo relationships amongst captains and lieutenants. The strawberry blonde told me yesterday night.

"What do you think we should do then?" I asked, curious to know what decision Toushiro would make in this situation. The white haired captain thought for a minute before answering with a sigh.

"The obvious; tell the truth and force him to let it slide." I snorted; I was up for the first part but the second part is going to be a little bit difficult.

"Sure to the first but the second's easier said than done." I replied.

"I think we should chance it."

"Well aren't you optimistic." He chuckled a bit before leaning over to me and kissing my forehead.

"C'mon, get up; the meeting is about two hours from now and you slept for half of the day without eating anything. My treat." I nodded; I was starting to feel a bit hungry. Toushiro got up and headed out the door but not before warning me that if I'm not out after 10 minutes and if he finds that I fell asleep again, he'll personally drag me out of bed. I laughed lightly, muttering back that I won't. After the door was shut behind him, I grudgingly got up from my futon and stumbled to the bathroom to get ready.

I came back out; still dressed in the black shinigami robes I had slept in. It saved me the trouble from having to pick out an outfit, not that I had anymore left anyways. I combed my hair, leaving it down and plain like usual but before I stepped out of the room, I glanced at the body length mirror near the closet. I looked like a seated officer in the plain black robes. I frowned; trying to think of a way to make my outfit more personalized. I decided to replace the normal white obi with a long red one, making a bow in the back. I smiled, satisfied.

I went over to my futon, folding it neatly and grabbed my zanpakutos before heading out. I stretched my arms over my head, cracking my neck from side to side before heading to Toushiro's office to meet him for breakfast...or brunch. I slid open the office door, not bothering to knock. He was seated on his desk, doing paperwork as usual. The white haired captain took a moment to look up from his papers; he smirked once he saw me.

"I'm surprised you didn't fall asleep again."

"Haha, funny." I replied, smiling a bit and flopping on to the couch. We enjoyed a moment of peace together, nothing was said between as afterwards. It seems like it has been forever since we just enjoyed each other company in silence.

"Reimei, you're not asleep are you?" I smirked to myself and closed my eyes, pretending to sleep. I wonder what he'll do if I was asleep. After hearing no response from me, I heard him get up from his seat and make his way around his desk. His footsteps stopped just in front of the head of the couch, where my head was currently resting. I felt him lean down and I could feel his hot breath hovering over my lips before I opened my eyes.

"You called?" I whispered, staring back at aqua teal eyes. He had his hands resting on each side of my head and I could feel one of his smirks begin to form.

"Just wondering if sleeping beauty needs a kiss to wake up."

I chuckled lightly before sitting up, he backed away allowing me so but I just wrapped my arms around his neck and in turn wrapped his arms around my waist, bringing me up to sit on the arm wrest of the couch.

"And you're supposed to be my prince charming?" I teased. He gave me a knowing look.

"See anyone else who could be?" I smirked and leaned in but stopped, just hovering over his lips.

"I'm hungry," I smiled before pulling away and getting up. His arms slipped from my waist as I headed towards the door,"And I remember clearly you'd treat me." I side glanced; Toushiro was giving me a funny look before rolling his eyes, smirking.

"You're so weird, but now you owe me."

"When I feel like it I'll owe you." I stuck out my tongue at him, knowing what he meant by 'owing' him. He shook his head and followed after me to get something to eat. We ended up eating dango and having tea, chatting about random things and the up coming meeting. Once we were done, we headed to the first division where the meeting was and we arrived just on time as it was beginning.

Toushiro took his place amongst the captains while I stood in between the two rows of captains, right in front of Yamamoto-soutaicho. As usual, he had this blank look on his face, his eyes partially closed but I could tell he was looking at me.

"Tanaka Reimei," He spoke, his voice echoing in the large meeting hall.

"Hai, soutaicho." I responded, nodding my head.

"You were sentenced to be executed by me because of your betrayal on Soul Society. However, Aizen Sosuke himself said that you had only done so to spy on him and Unohana-taicho had added that you were sending back information on Aizen back to Soul Society in that time."

"Hai, I knew something was strange and went to investigate. It turns out Aizen was interested in my skills and said that I was useful to his plans. I agreed to help, curious to know what he intended on doing."

A wave of murmurs and whispers broke as some captains whispered amongst themselves but they were silenced when Yamamoto spoke again.

"I see. Then perhaps your charges should be lifted. Tanaka Reimei, former 3rd seat of the 2nd division, is hereby proven innocent and will not face execution." I sighed in relief, even though I knew from the start that I would be let off from those charges. I would've considered the captain-commander insane if he doesn't after all of that. I bowed my head in respect; now all I had to do was hope that the old man has forgotten about the **other **matter.

"However,"

I bit my lip; it was just my luck. I raised my head slightly, giving a questioning look before straightening myself again.

"Hai...?" I asked hesitantly.

"It seems there have been other things going on and it has become a problem." I still played dumb and looked at him as if I didn't get what he meant.

"Other problems?" I repeated.

"Forgive me for being quite blunt but Tanaka-san," His eyes opened and he was staring at me with a hard look, "I have come to understand that there is a relationship going on between you and Jyuubantai-taicho."

Gasps can be heard throughout the hall. I glanced out of the corner of my eyes and saw Toushiro was still calm, his eyes closed as if nothing happened. I gulped, couldn't help but feel pressured but then remembered what Toushiro had said. He wanted to tell the truth and force Yamamoto to let the relationship slide. If not, he told me that he would still see me even if it meant breaking shinigami law. I remembered clearly what he said during our brunch.

_**During brunch**_

_"Toushiro, you know convincing Yamamoto would be like trying to convince a fish to stop swimming." I had said. I was quite worried what the sou-taicho would do if he started questioning me about my relationship with Toushiro in front of __**all**__ the captains of the Gotei 13. Like I have said before; he finds any way to get my head chopped off._

_"I would still see you if he doesn't accept you know." I was amazed at what he said, but then again I shouldn't be because he is, after all Hitsugaya Toushiro; King of being stubborn. It even rivaled me._

_"I don't want you to get into any more trouble then you might already be by defending me during that match." I countered._

_"Then what kind of boyfriend would I be, especially if it concerns someone I care for and love." I sighed, smiling at his words a bit. He really was stubborn. But then it hit me; what about Hinamori? I was, to say, not entirely honest with Toushiro and now that I thought about it, it made me feel guilty. I would have to tell him IF, miraculously, Yamamoto allows our relationship to go on freely._

_**Now**_

I snapped out of my thoughts when everyone's attention was directed towards me, expecting an answer. I glanced over towards Toushiro, he gave a small nod and I smiled in reply.

Okay, first step of the plan; confess.

"Yes, it's true. I am in love with Hitsugaya Toushiro, tenth division captain, and we have been together for a while now." I said confidently. More gasps and murmurs.

"You do know that it is looked down upon to have such a relationship amongst captains and lieutenants."

"I know,"

"Hitsugaya-taicho, please step forward." I looked beside me to see Toushiro stepping out from his place and come up beside me. I gave a slightly worried side glance at him before facing the front again at where the sou-taicho was.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, are you ready for the possible consequences of committing such a taboo?"

"Hai, sou-taicho. But please, can you consider allowing my relationship with Tanaka Reimei to go on peacefully?" Toushiro asked as politely as he could. He had his eyes fixed on the captain-commander and I nodded my head in agreement, also having my eyes trained on him. Yamamoto was silence as if actually considering the thought, I was hopeful but my hope soon dropped when he spoke.

"You know exactly why we cannot allow any relationships to go on amongst shinigamis of the Gotei 13, especially amongst captains."

"Please, I beg of you." The sentence came out more quickly then I had intended but that was beside the point. I bowed my head low at the captain-commander, almost reaching a perfect 90 degree, "Onegai shimasu, I'm willing to do anything." I felt Toushiro's eyes on me before he too sucked in his pride and bowed just as lowly as I did.

"Onegai shimasu..."

There was an eerie silence; I could faintly hear the other captains whispering amongst themselves. The atmosphere was really tensed but I still kept my head bowed down humbly, and prayed silently to myself.

"_**I'm sure he'll allow this, you've done great deeds for the Gotei 13 so I'm sure he has some sense of honor as to agree to one of your requests." **_I heard Tsumetai Kaze say gently, no doubt trying to comfort my slowly rising nerves.

'_I hope so...'_

It seems like it's been an eternity of silence but it was only a few minutes; my back was starting to hurt and I just wanted to get over with whatever Yamamoto wanted to do with me and Toushiro. Well, mostly me; he can throw me out of Soul Society for all I care or limit our time seeing each other or something! Heck, I'll even take living in Rukongai.

"Tanaka Reimei," I jerked out of my thoughts when I heard my name being called by the captain-commander, it startled me no less.

"H-Hai," I replied, glancing up slightly.

"I have taken this to thought,"

Uh huh...? And..? 

"I have come to a conclusion that would make this work out for both the Gotei 13 and yourself and Hitsugaya-taicho."

Yes, and...? I was dying here.

"I have decided that you will be allowed to continue your relationship with Hitsugaya-taicho,"

Oh my. I felt my eyes widened into the size of two dinner plates and my mouth dropped open. I can't believe what I was hearing, especially from the captain-commander of the Gotei 13; Yamamoto-soutaicho who lets nothing get pass him if it offends a law of the Gotei 13. I felt Toushiro relax beside me and heard him sigh in relief though I'm pretty sure no one else heard. I was just about to thank the old taicho a million times but he nearly gave me a heart attack after that.

"However,"

I was on the edge and I was sure I would faint from the suspense in this situation. Toushiro faltered too and I was certain both our hearts were racing; what was the catch? I have to get kicked out of Seireitei? I can never join the Gotei 13? Toushiro has to be removed from his title as captain?! I eyed him with wide eyes and I was pretty sure he noticed I was on the verge of begging him to tell me what he wanted to say. I think he was enjoying all of this.

"You will have to take up the position of being captain of the 5th division."

I did a double take, I had to. I did not believe what he was telling me. I probably looked like a gapping fish out of water. I stared at him in disbelief, shock, relief and a whole bunch of other emotions mixed in at once. I was at a lost for word but Yamamoto filled me in on why he had decided to make me captain.

"You're very skilled in many of the shinigami arts and have already achieved bankai for two zanpakutos. You can be of great help to the Gotei 13. Plus, you have done the Gotei 13 some good. It's only right to honor at least one of your requests."

"_**I told you."**_

I knew Tsumetai Kaze was right but that wasn't the point, I was overjoyed to say the least but I contained it. Both Toushiro and I stood from our bowing, still looking like fishes out of water before bowing down lowly again.

"Arigatou, Yamamoto-soutaicho!"

"Now, captains; I assume there's no problems or issues with this condition?" Yamamoto asked, glancing around the room to the other captains.

"Of course not, I think it's about time Toushiro-san has someone to keep him from over working himself." commented the 8th division captain, Shunsui Kyoraku, tipping his straw hat with a care-free smile on his face. I glanced over at Toushiro and giggled when I saw him blush.

"She's strong, and I still need a rematch from her." said Kenpachi. I smiled warily; I'll be sure to avoid the 11th division now. All of the captains shared their thoughts; some nicer than others. Some of the captains surprised me by saying they actually approve; namely Soi Fon and Komamaru while others were weird or they just don't give a damn, ahem; Byakuya and Mayuri.

"I now declare this meeting adjourned. Tanaka-san, your captain haori will be delivered to you tomorrow."

"Hai." I said, smiling.

"Arigatou." Both Toushiro and I said at the same time, bowing once before leaving with the rest of the captains. Once we were out of the meeting room. I sighed out loudly and did some twirls and skips.

"That went way better than I expected." Toushiro smirked at me and nodded his head in agreement.

"But you do realize that you'll be doing paperwork half of the time."

"So? At least I got something to do since you always doing them 24/7 too. And besides," I paused, taking a moment to jump on the railing, "I'll still find a way to see you and bug you." I finished, smiling. Toushiro sighed, shaking his head in a playful way before hopping up beside me.

"There's no stopping you huh?"

"Nope!" And with that, I took off flash stepping with Toushiro following me. Once we reached the small streets of Seireitei, we decided to slow down to walking. The streets were mostly empty so we took our time walking to wherever we felt like going.

"Hitsugaya-kun!" I heard someone call out in the middle of walking. We both stopped and turned around to see Hinamori jogging up to us. She stopped in front us, panting and trying to catch her breath.

"Hinamori?" asked Toushiro questioningly.

"I was looking for you all day!" She exclaimed, "Is Reimei going to get sentenced to execution again?"

I scrunched up my nose and looked off to the side; did she want me to get executed?

"No, fortunately not." replied Toushiro calmly.

"Oh thank goodness then." The fifth division lieutenant sighed, smiling but then she looked straight at Toushiro with a sort of sad, soft smile on her face and I had to look back at her with interest.

"Neh, Hitsugaya-kun," She called out timidly.

"Nani?" asked Toushiro, noticing the sudden change in mood from his childhood friend.

"Ano, you and Reimei-san are together neh?"

Toushiro looked a bit confused but then realized where this was going; his eyes softened a bit before sighing.

"Momo..."

"Do you love her?" Hinamori asked suddenly. I decided to keep quiet while they discussed this and was interested in how Toushiro would respond.

"Yeah," His voice was unwavering and strong.

"And you promise you won't hurt her ever as long as you live?" She asked again, looking Toushiro in the eyes. I was surprised at what she was saying; was she sticking up for me or something? The young captain in front of her was equally surprised and was about to question her about these questions when she cut him off.

"Toushiro I asked you a question." Her voice was stern and she was almost glaring at him to make him answer. I was really taken aback by her change in attitude towards Toushiro. Here I thought she was the timid, naive girl but now she's...more commanding and confident. Toushiro was just as equally shocked but he recovered and nodded his head just as confident.

"I promise; I would never dream of hurting her."

Hinamori's expression turned from the hard look she gave to Toushiro to a much more softened one. She smiled gave a pat on Toushiro's head.

"Good," She pulled back while Toushiro reverted back to his normal self; fixing his hair while mumbling something under his breath. Hinamori reached into her sleeves and pulled out something very familiar. I stared at her wide eyes and had my attention directed at a certain bracelet.

"I can give this back to you now." She said, holding out the bracelet to me. I reached out and took it, the small crystal was cracked but it was still a whole.

"Where'd you find it? I thought..."I spoke for the first time since our encounter.

"It dropped nearby, and I found it. I knew it belonged to you."

"Huh...?"

I remembered clearly that Hinamori hasn't seen me wearing the bracelet before or Toushiro giving it to me. I was more curious when she gave me an equally confused look back at me.

"What's with the funny face? I thought it always belonged to you." She said, blinking in puzzlement. She took the first line right out of my mouth and I was speechless.

"I gave it to her if that's what you mean Hinamori." Toushiro answered, hopefully trying to solve this mystery that so happen to develop right at that moment.

"Yeah I know."

Now Toushiro was confused as I was. He raised his eyebrow and looked at her suspiciously.

"Hitsugaya-kun, don't tell me you've forgotten." Hinamori said, placing her hands on either of her hips.

"Can you elaborate what I might've forgotten...?" asked Toushiro, still not understanding how Hinamori knew about the bracelet. I nodded my head in agreement and waited for her to continue. She just gave Toushiro a look of disbelief before saying as if it's the obvious thing in the world;

"You gave that to her when you were younger Hitsugaya-kun, before she left to join the academy to become a shinigami."

That was probably the surprise of my life when I heard that. I swear I was ready to faint from all of these new discoveries. I looked beside Toushiro, giving him a questioning look as if asking if he remembered. He in turn glanced at me before shaking his head but then stopped with a thoughtful look on his face. He was on to something and I was curious to know.

"I...think I know now. Yeah...Reimei she's right." He turned to look at me but I just gave him a puzzled look, "Right before you left, we went to that old forest we used to play by the river and I gave you the bracelet. But then when I was about to join the academy, I found it back on my bed and the next day I heard you had gone missing."

I thought about it but then something clicked; the flashback I had when I first touched the crystal in Toushiro's office.

'_So those two kids were really us?'_

_"__**It seems both of your destinies were intertwined with each other long ago."**_

"See? And what do you know, I knew you guys would end up together one day." smiled Hinamori, "Anyways, I have to go. I heard I'm getting a new captain tomorrow."

"Yeah, we know." I replied, smiling back at her. Now I realize that Hinamori was only like a sister to Toushiro; how stupid of me to think that maybe he's her romantic interest. For a minute, I looked down partially out of shame but quickly shook it off as to avoid suspicions. Luckily no one caught me.

"I can't wait to meet whoever it is, though..."She trailed off, looking sad. No doubt thinking about Aizen but she shook it off and just waved us goodbye before running off. Once she was gone from sight, I heaved a sigh and turned to Toushiro. He too turned to me with a soft look in his eyes.

"How could have we forgotten..?" He whispered. I smiled, shaking my head with closed eyes.

"I guess it doesn't matter now. We still found each other." I looked down at the bracelet and slipped it on, "So what do you say Toushiro-kun?" He looked at me, confused. It seems like we've been confused a lot lately but I wouldn't mind if it was Toushiro; he looked cute that way. Not that he wasn't already.

"Let's see if we can find that old place again, silly!" I said laughing. He blinked before letting a small smile creep on his lips. I blushed a bit; it was a definite change from his trademark smirks.

"Yeah, let's go." He said before taking off towards the forest area, I happily followed him. According to Toushiro's faint memories, the forest we used to play in was near the Rukongai district we grew up in or he grew up in...or...Ah, whatever. Of course there were many forests near Rukongai and we didn't exactly remember which part so after many hours of bickering and getting lost, we finally managed to find the place thanks to my brains.

"See? I told you it was this way." I smirked triumphantly as the sound of a rushing river can be heard. Toushiro just crossed his arms and pouted, continuing to follow me as I walked backwards.

I laughed at his expression, finding it adorable that Hitsugaya Toushiro, Mr. Serious and No Fun, is pouting. I was being careful stepping over the big stones but I miscalculated one and what do you know, I tripped over it.

"Woah!" I flailed my arms in the air to try and catch my balance but I still felt my body falling back. But before I could hit the ground, a white blur caught me by the waist and we ended up in a position that looked like we were doing the tango and he was dipping me.

Our faces were centimeters apart and I was trapped in the depths of his eyes. It still amazed me that there was actually someone in the world that has such an eye colour. They really intrigued me.

"You have very pretty eyes..." I hadn't planned on saying it but it just came. Toushiro smirked.

"Thanks, you do too." Our faces were nearing the gap between us lessened but before our lips met I stopped and drew back, smirking while he rolled his eyes.

"Can you stop being so cruel to me?"

"But you love me that way." I replied back, winking. He just shook his head playfully and without any warning, his lips met mine. My arms found their way around his neck and Toushiro pulled me up to stand straight, his arms never leaving my waist. I felt his tongue run across my lower lip, asking for entrance. It was really bold of him but then again, it's Toushiro we're talking about. I parted my lips a bit and our tongues started to battle.

After a few minutes of just standing there and making out, we finally parted slightly out of breath. I took a step back and placed my hands on my waist, giving him the 'I know you're hiding something' look.

"When did you learn french?" I asked, looking at him suspiciously. As usual, he smirked that smirk of his and shrugged casually; folding his arms into his sleeves before turning awa and taking a few steps then giving me a mysterious side glance that made him look absolutely gorgeous.

"When did you think...?"

I stopped and thought. We've kissed a lot times but mostly they were short. It took a lot of tracing back to finally figure out when and I blushed lightly at the memory.

"You..can't mean..**that** time right?" I asked to make sure. All I got was a chuckle as a reply.

"Yes, **that** time..."

"But that was my move..."

"You know I did it better than you."

I huffed, crossing my arms. His ego was starting to irk me. But that wasn't the worst part.

He was right.

**Kekeke, if you can't remember what that time was then its I believe back in chapter...24? Yeah, 24. Just a note; I changed the chapter a bit and replaced it from the old one so if you wanna go back and see what changes it was then go ahead. It's not big though but meh. Please R&R!**


	29. Epilogue: The Sweet Taste Never Lasts

**Vietvn: Whoo..Sorry for the late update, I was really busy with school now, boo. Anyways, here's the epilogue :D as promised but its more like a chapter XD. And guess what?? I watched the second bleach movie, diamonddust rebellion in subs and IT WAS AWESOME!**

**I got some great ideas on how to change to story up a little while watching sooo I'll be incorperating them into my story for the sequel! :D**

**I'll be starting the first chapter of the sequel sometimes soon and have that posted up so yea, just please be patient and look forward to it :)**

**Epilogue: The Sweet Taste Never Last That Long Anyways**

"Ano Tanaka-taicho, Hinamori-fukutaicho is here requesting entrance-..."

"Come in Hinamori." I sighed from my desk, my head resting on my propped up hand. The brunette bunned girl entered after I allowed her and she carried with her a folder of more paperwork for me. Joy...

"Not more..." I whined.

"Sorry Tanaka-taicho, but we're still missing captains from divisions and the 11th division tends to not do their paperwork so they send it to other divisions." Hinamori apologized, setting the stack on my desk. I glared at it hatefully. Ever since I started working as a captain it's been nothing but paperwork. I wasn't sure how many times I would be saying this but I should've taken Toushiro more seriously when he said I'll be busy with paperwork 24/7. Things has been going on too; Orihime was kidnapped and labeled as a traitor for going to Hueco Mundo, just as I predicted Aizen would do. Of course, Ichigo -being reckless such as myself- went to go rescue her with his friends and soon Rukia and Renji joined up. I wanted to pitch in too but Yamamoto forbids anyone from going. I would've still gone anyways if it wasn't for Toushiro who had convinced me in a heated argument to not break a shinigami order again.

I pouted and grumpily took out the sheets of paper and began to individually look them over.

"Thanks Hinamori for your hard work." I said, smiling lightly at her. She smiled back and laughed a little despite the dark circles that were still visible under her eyes.

"I'm sure you wouldn't thank me for more paperwork Tanaka-taicho because you hardly get to see Hitsugaya-kun anymore."

I sighed, "I thought I told you to call me Reimei and yeah, I'm actually starting to miss that snowman." I bet he's in the same situation as I am; stuck at our desk looking at ink on paper all day.

"Well it's not much today; I'm sure you can do half and leave the rest for another time." suggested Hinamori. I shrugged my shoulders.

"We'll see how it goes. Maybe I should consider getting a stamp of my signature instead of having to sign it continuously; I'm starting to get hand cramps." I said, taking up my pen and flicking it around my fingers while scanning the contents of the paper. Hinamori giggled and then left me to my work.

Hm..Let's see what we have here; hollow attacks, academy graduates soon to be placed in squads, blah, blah, blah. I just signed the paper; they're mostly notices anyways and reports. It glanced around the office; it was so quiet that it was too quiet. Not that that made sense but it was quiet and lonely. I frowned sadly; I might've just discovered that I get lonely easily.

"_**You do actually, that's why you have us."**_

_'Oh hello.' _I replied back in my head, glancing over at the light blue zanpakuto that rested on a stand near a pure black one on one side of the room.

"_I'm bored."_

_'So am I.'_

_"__Joy..."_

_**"You two have too much in common."**_

I twirled my pen and signed another paper absent-mindedly before putting it off to one side and grabbing another one. I glanced out of the corner of my eye to the black phone near my desk. I wonder...

Picking up the receiver gingerly, I started to dial the connection line to division ten's office. I waited for it to ring for a while before the other end picked up.

"Moshi moshi?" came a low drawl.

"Well don't you sound happy?" I replied with a smirk.

"Reimei? Is there something you need?" Toushiro asked again, his voice sounding a bit more livelier. I chuckled and balanced the receiver between my cheek and shoulder.

"I'm just bored and I feel lonely." I said in a sad tone. A sigh came to my ear in response.

"What'd I tell you about being a captain?"

"I know, I know. I should've expected this from the old man; it was too convenient and too good to be true." I twirled my pen in my fingers, frowning while scanning a report paper. I signed it and placed it over on the finished pile. Stupid old man; me being captain was a nice way of saying, 'You can be together with Hitsugaya-taicho, not like you'll have time anyways.'

"How much work do you have on you?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"A fair amount; I might stop by if I get at least half of it done by today."

"I was thinking the same," I smiled while taking another sheet of paper and signing it.

"TAICHO!" I faintly heard in the background on the other line, I had to pull the receiver away from ear to avoid going deaf. After the sudden shout died down to normal talking, I listened in on what was being said.

"Are you talking to Reimei?" asked a teasing voice, no doubt the busty lieutenant.

"Urusai Matsumoto and do your paperwork." scowled Toushiro.

"HI REIMEI-CHAN!" I bursted out laughing before I greeted her back too. She must've taken the phone from Toushiro.

"Give me the phone! MATSUMOTO!"

My hunch was proven correct and I was left in the dark as to what was going on over there.

"I need to ask you a favor! Is it okay if I stop by right now?" she asked.

"Yeah, come over any time. I'm lonely by myself anyways." I said. Matsumoto squealed in delight.

"I'll be right over! There's something I wanna show you and I think you'll like it!" I laughed; Matsumoto is such a joker. Before I could reply back to her, the phone was supposedly taken from the lieutenant because a more serious and deep-toned voice replaced the bubbly one.

"I better go now Reimei to finish up some paperwork but I'll see you later."

"Yup, we can go to a cafe if you want."

"Sounds good."

"Ja ne Toushiro, aishiteru."

"Aishiteru." Aw, he sounded so sweet even over the phone. It almost makes me faint every time he says it. I smiled and hung up, placing the receiver back on the holder. Not a moment after I drew my hand away from the phone, the door to my office swung open; revealing a very excited looking Matsumoto. I blinked in surprised; that was quick of her.

"REIMEI!" She exclaimed, bounding over to me. In her hands, she clutched a manila folder. The lieutenant slapped the folder on the surface of my desk with a triumphant smile. I stared back at her confused.

"What is it that you wanted to show me again?" I asked. Matsumoto giggled before gesturing to the folder, urging me to take a look at what might be inside. I was uneasy but dragged the folder closer to me as Matsumoto spoke.

"Hisagi wanted me to chip in on this week's shinigami magazine. He wanted me to do something that would catch the reader's attention, I was so stumped but I finally figured something out!"

At that point, I had flipped open the manila tag folder and what I saw caught me by surprise. Countless pictures of Toushiro were clipped together and they were taken in a way a paparazzi would. I flipped through the pictures amazed; there were pictures of him sleeping, sitting near the sun set in school uniform, sitting on the bench in casual clothing, looking off to one side in his office and even playing soccer.

"S-Sugoi..."I breathed while eyeing the picture. Matsumoto smirked triumphantly like a Cheshire cat.

"I took them myself when he wasn't looking! So what do you think?" I looked up from the pictures incredulously.

"How did you take a front view picture without him noticing?! And it's a close up too!" The busty lieutenant just winked at me and held an index finger to her lips.

"That's my secret."

I stared back at the pictures before clearing my thoughts and placing them back in the folder and sliding it back towards Matsumoto.

"Just make sure he doesn't catch you with it." I muttered, smirking a bit. She nodded enthusiastically and took the folder and slipped them into her sleeves.

"Hai!" she smiled, "Well, gotta get these to Hisagi then, see you later!" And with that she skipped out of the office. I sighed and shook my head; I'll be sure to purchase this week's shinigami magazine edition. Taking one more piece of paperwork and signing it quickly after a brief skim, I set it over on the 'done' pile and leaned back in my office chair.

"Finally," I said out loud, glancing at the rather small pile of paper, "I can relax...Oh! I should go see Toushiro about that 'date'." I got up and headed out of the office and into my room, going over to the body-length mirror. My usually long hair had a bit of hair partially pulled back from just above my ears with a thin white ribbon that had blue metallic patterns on it that shines when the sun hits it. The rest was still let down. I wore the outfit when I first came to Seireitei except I changed it to a shirt that slightly resembled the top part of the shinigami uniform. It was black along with the skirt which I still kept. The captain haori I received cut short to the middle of my calf and was sleeveless. And finally around my waist, the trademark red sash that I once wore was replaced by a dark teal-navy blue colour that was tied over the captain haori.

I checked my appearance over just to make sure nothing is out of place.

"_Gosh, you sure like to pretty yourself up for ONE person..."_

"_**Hush, I think she looks beautiful." **_came the voices of my two zanpakutos. They had started to bicker in my thoughts again. It took a lot of effort to stop them from ranting on for 5 hours straight but I stopped them just in time before a headache rolled in. After being satisfied with my looks, I turned on my heels and flash stepped towards the tenth division. I got there in no time and headed towards the captain's office.

"Excuse me." I said before sliding the door open. I smiled, finding Toushiro still at his desk scribbling down his signature on a piece of paperwork. He glanced up and let a small smile appear on his lips as he saw me.

"Reimei, you're awfully early." stated Toushiro as he placed his pen down and stretched his arms.

"Well I guess you can say I was excited to see you in such a long time." I replied, crossing my arms in my sleeves. It has been a while actually. Nearly a month and a half since we've seen each other. Sure we've bumped into one another once in a while but the short moment of spending time together was cut even shorter with the piling paperwork and duties of a captain. It was only once in two weeks we get a day where we can properly spend time in each others company for more than half of the day.

Toushiro got up from his seat behind his desk and made his way around it. He walked towards me and placed a small peck on my lips before tugging the ends of my sleeves gently.

"C'mon, let's go."

I nodded my head and followed after him. We sauntered down the streets of Seireitei side by side. We had small talks here and there about how much paperwork we're getting and how tiring it was to be a captain. We both came to a stop at a sweets shop that sold Kakigōri (japenese dessert that's made of shaved ice and flavoured syrup).

We took a seat near the window and a waitress came to take our order.

"Strawberry for me." I replied.

"Watermelon." With a nod, the waitress went to the counter and placed our orders. As soon as she left, I let a giggle slip out and had to use my hand to cover it up as much as possible but it was still audible. Toushiro gave me a puzzled look from the seat across from me.

"What?" He asked, blinking his sea-green eyes. I shook my head before replying.

"Nothing, I just find it cute that Hinamori was actually right; you really do like watermelons a lot."

I saw his face colour up in a light shade of pink but he huffed and turned away slightly in attempt to cover it up while crossing his arms.

"So what? It's good."

"So Hitsugaya Toushiro has an inner child after all."

"U-Urusai!"

I laughed at his retort; it was absolutely adorable and funny to see him so flustered. The waitress came back and placed our orders in front us.

"Itadakimasu!" I sang and scooped up some of the cool dessert with the spoon and placed it in my mouth. It melted on my tongue slowly and the sweet taste of strawberry hit my senses. I smiled happily and went for another scoop but this time, scooping up something from deep within the icy outside.

"Eh? Strawberry sorbet?" I wondered, peering at the extra treat on my spoon.

"That's new, I didn't know they put sorbets inside now..." Toushiro commented, also looking at his own dessert and finding the same thing. I shrugged and ate it anyways, the sorbet intensified the strawberry flavour more and now it was as if I really was eating strawberries.

"Does it taste good?" asked Toushiro, watching my delightful expression amusingly. I nodded and scooped a spoonful and held it to Toushiro.

"Try it!"

He looked from me to the spoon then back to me as if wondering if it was okay. I nodded my head encouragingly and he in turn, leaned forward over the small table until I was able to place the spoon nicely into his mouth. He withdrew and the strawberry dessert that was once on the spoon was gone. Sitting back in his seat, he swallowed and licked his lips cutely.

"How is it?" I asked.

"Pretty good, but I've tasted better."

I pouted my lips at him.

"What, your watermelon is too good for my strawberries? I don't see what's so good about them..." He smirked in turn, taking the spoon from his mouth from which he consumed a bit of his watermelon kakigori.

"I didn't say it was bad, I just like it in a different way."

"Different way?" I asked curiously but was answered only with a spoon with watermelon kakigori on it directed to me. I glanced at Toushiro, blinking before I allowed him to spoon feed me some of his dessert. Watermelon was just as sweet and I could almost smell the scent of it. Oh wait, that's Toushiro. Ha Ha, kidding though if I get close enough to him I COULD actually smell hints of watermelon in his hair and skin.

I swallowed the taste and let the cool ice run down my throat. Licking my lips, I picked up traces of watermelon and strawberries. I hadn't notice Toushiro was leaning over towards me until I felt his hand gently take my chin and held it in place for him to place his lips on mine. I nearly drop my spoon which I still held onto. Now I could literally smell and taste watermelon. A tongue gently licked the bottom of my lips and before I could do anything, he pulled back and sat back in his seat again; smirking that smirk of his.

"Now that's the best way to taste strawberries and watermelons."

I felt my cheeks flushed as I stared back at him.

"I can see why..." I said absent mindedly before snapping out of trance and quickly adding in, "You're such a flirt Toushiro..."

He only chuckled lightly and I couldn't help but smile once again. A slight pause was shared between us. I started to slowly consume more of my kakigori before my mind wandered off into thought. The topic of Hinamori and Toushiro's relationship started to tug at me again. I was starting to feel that maybe I should tell him some of the truth behind me. I mean, I feel guilty now that I think about it; thinking that Hinamori was more to Toushiro than a friend sort of pushed me to agree with Aizen in helping him.

"Toushiro..."

"Hm?" He looked up slightly, the spoon still placed in his mouth. I smiled slightly but then let it slide off of my face. Looking down slightly, I hesitantly started to word my thoughts.

"We're pretty close now in our relationship and to keep it strong we have to trust in each other right?"

"Yeah..." He replied, looking up now and directly at my dark amethyst eyes.

"So no secrets from each other when it comes to the time where we need each others help right?"

He nodded, listening intently.

"Well," I stumbled with what words to say.

"It also means you can tell me anything, I'm always here to listen...so what's on your mind?" came his soft voice, gently urging me to continue without being too pushy.

I sighed, "I've been meaning to tell you...that some of the reasons of my betrayal were that of my selfish desires. I guess you could say a part of me wanted to help Aizen and his plan." He looked incredulous at me so I quickly added, "Just a little. I admit it."

Toushiro blinked confusedly before I continued, "When I first met you, I was immediately intrigued by everything about you; your presence, your history, your skills as a shinigami captain; everything. But then...when I finally realized that I've fallen in too deep, a certain person came into the picture and probably changed my 'perfect' fantasy. And that's when I started to have my doubts."

I paused, looking at Toushiro to see any reactions. Of course there were, but they weren't mad or shocked. They were softened and almost understanding where I'm getting at.

"Reimei, you can't tell me you thought-..."

Okay, more like understanding all of where I'm getting at. I cut him off, saving him the trouble of confirming my guess.

"I couldn't help it! I really did! I thought...Hinamori was someone who you love in a romantic sort of way; being your childhood friend and actually staying with you throughout your whole life." I sighed, "After thinking that, I was so bitter but yet trying to fight against my selfishness at the same time. So when Aizen asked me to join him, I did hesitate before he mentioned about how he knows the bitterness I had for her." I decided to end it there, glancing downwards onto my lap again. Nothing was said afterwards until a soft hand touched my cheek gently. I glanced up to meet sea-green orbs but then looked down again, almost afraid.

"Reimei, look at me..." He said gently. I did after a few seconds. I was soon trapped in his gaze as he stared right back at me.

"Hinamori was only like a sister to me. I know how careless and even naive she was and is now so I felt the need to really look out for her." He gently caressed my cheek before letting his hand slip away and settled back into his seat, "Besides," He turned his head towards the streets through the window, "I've had my eyes on you the entire time." A familiar smirk slowly made its appearance. I smiled softly at him before nodding my head.

"Thank you, Toushiro..." I said softly. He just closed his eyes momentarily.

"You should know by now that I have intentions of staying with you forever."

I giggled, "Yeah...That's really sweet of you Toushiro." I saw him blush a few shades of red before he opened his eyes and changed to a different subject.

"I'm being assigned on a mission."

"Oh? What is it?" I asked, not minding his idea to get out of the serious atmosphere. It was bugging me anyways.

"I need to escort and guard the transportation of the King's Seal with my squad and Matsumoto. I'm leaving for the human world in about 3 days."

"Ah, sounds important." I said, nodding my head thoughtfully while scooping another spoonful of my forgotten kakigori dessert into my mouth. Swallowing, I replied, "Well, at least you can get out now. I'm still stuck at my desk."

He smiled and also began to finish his own dessert, "It's too bad for you then."

The rest of the 'date' was filled with small talks, fun moments and moments where we caught ourselves flirting with each other even. After eating, we decided to go back to our old childhood play place in the forest to just sit and enjoy the peace and quiet company of each other. It wasn't until late at night did we start to head back to our respective divisions. We each bid each other good night and a shared a small peck on the lips before going our separate ways.

Three days came by faster than expected and I soon found myself seeing Toushiro set off to his mission at the Senkai Gate with Matsumoto and his squad.

"Don't get killed no matter what, okay?" I said sternly. The white haired captain in front of me rolled his eyes and nodded his head.

"Reimei, you know I won't."

I smiled, "I know but still, you never know. I'm not the only one who does reckless things."

He chuckled, "I guess you're right."

"And please come back safely." I added in softly, looking at him with softened eyes. Toushiro smiled lightly at me and took both my hands into his.

"I promise. Nothing will happen to me."

I nodded and pulled him into a hug, wrapping my arms around his mid-section tightly. He returned the hug and leaned his close to my ear.

"Aishiteru." came his soft whisper.

"Aishiteru...Shiro-kun." I replied back just as softly. We pulled away, giving one last long look at each other and just as he was about to turn away to head to the gate, Matsumoto's shouts were heard from up ahead the gate.

"TAICHO! DON'T LEAVE HER WITHOUT A KISS GOOD-BYE!"

A vein pulsed on the side of his head in annoyance before he turned around to face the busty woman who had been watching the entire time.

"URUSAI MATSUMOTO!"

"C'MON! DON'T BE SHY!" came her cheery reply, adding in a thumbs up in encouragement. He sighed, rolled his eyes and turned back to me, immediately putting his lips on mine as his hand gently cupped my cheek. I eagerly kissed back, the scent of watermelon filtered into my senses. The kiss wasn't too long nor too short; it was just perfect. He drew away, staring back into my eyes deeply. Toushiro gave one last smile before turning away and headed to the Senkai Gate.

I watched him depart and disappear beyond the gate til it closed. Sighing, I headed back to my division to finish up on some more paperwork.

I didn't know how many days had passed by; nothing much really happened so I couldn't tell except Hinamori overworked herself and ended up having to recuperate again in the fourth division. As I was doing my daily stacks of paperwork, a hell butterfly fluttered in through the open window of my office. It landed on my pen and relayed its message.

Attention Gotei 13 captains, you are to meet in the first division immediately for a meeting. You are to be expected there. That is all.

Wow, this was probably my first captain's meeting as a Gotei 13 captain. I didn't exactly know what to expect but I'm guessing it's really serious. I got up from my seat behind my desk, abandoning the pen and papers I've been working with and quickly flash stepped to the first division. As I arrived there, mostly all of the captains were already there. I took my place in the two rows of captain, filling in the spot where the fifth division would be. Afterwards, a familiar strawberry blonde lieutenant stepped into the meeting hall and kneeled down at the very back of the two rows of captains. I was surprised when I saw her there. Wasn't she supposed to be in the real world escorting the King's Seal? A bad feeling lurched up in my gut but I pushed it aside for now.

The head captain was already sitting at the head of the rows, his lieutenant beside him. The large doors to the meeting hall closed and Yamamoto-soutaicho spoke.

"Captains of the Gotei 13, recently an assigned task of escorting and protecting the transportation of the Royal Family's treasure; the King's Seal to another placement area has been issued to a division. However, this mission had gone horribly wrong. Soifon-taicho,"

"Yes, sir." came the quick reply of the second division captain. Soifon stepped forward from her place in line and began to report her investigation search with her squad in the real world. So far, I didn't like the sounds of what's going on and I'm pretty sure no one did either. According to Soifon, some strong enemy forces attacked the group as they were making their journey to its new placement area, the King's Seal was later declared stolen since Soifon and her squad couldn't trace any of its spiritual powers. I wasn't really eager to know all of that; I wanted to know more about the person who was in charge of the supervision of this mission.

"And evidence that the man in charge of defense, Jyuubantai-taicho Hitsugaya Toushiro, deliberately and personally moved to erase his own reiatsu from the scene."

"Wait just a second!" exclaimed Matsumoto who had been quiet the entire time, "Are you saying that captain abandoned his duty?!"

"Then why did he take such action?" inquired Soifon, facing Matsumoto with a hard stare, "Such behavior is against the law."

"But I-!"

"Enough!"

The thundering voice of the Soutaicho echoed throughout the spacious room. While they were having their argument, I was too busy trying to absorb everything in. Toushiro's missing now? Did something come up during the mission? This is all happening to suddenly. It's only been a few days since I've seen him leave and now he's gone just like that? 

A lot of questions streamed into my mind, but bottom line is that I needed to find him and ask him myself.

But for now, he is one dead shinigami.

**For those who haven't seen the movie yet GO WATCH IT NOW LMAOO its on veoh :) Anyways, yea that's it for "You gotta be cruel to be loved."**

**Now look forward to the sequel which I will entitle; "But You Still Love Me (Even if I'm Cruel)" Yes another long title XD And Omgg! Another story finished :D Accomplishment for me! X)**


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